Today(on 12th July),The Supreme Court will deliver its verdict on Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s plea challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in a money-laundering case. Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta will pronounce the judgment on the plea reserved since May 17.
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NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court is set to deliver its verdict today(on 12th July) on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal‘s plea challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money-laundering case.
The bench comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta reserved their judgment on May 17 and will pronounce the ruling today.
Arvind Kejriwal, who also leads the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), was apprehended by the ED on March 21 in connection with a money laundering case tied to the alleged Delhi liquor policy scam. He has contested the April 9 decision of the Delhi High Court, which validated his arrest in this matter.
The Delhi High Court had confirmed the 55-year-old politician’s arrest, stating there was “no illegality” involved and noting that the central investigative agency had “little option” left after Kejriwal ignored repeated summonses and refused to participate in the investigation.
On April 15, the Supreme Court requested a response from the central probe agency regarding Kejriwal’s plea challenging his arrest.
On May 10, the Supreme Court granted Kejriwal a 21-day interim bail to campaign for the Lok Sabha elections. He was instructed to surrender on June 2, one day after the final phase of the seven-phased elections was scheduled to conclude.
Subsequently, on June 20, a trial court in Delhi granted Kejriwal bail in the case. However, the ED appealed this decision the next day to the Delhi High Court, arguing that the trial court’s order granting bail was “perverse”, “one-sided”, and “wrong-sided”, with conclusions based on irrelevant facts.
On June 21, the Delhi High Court imposed an interim stay on the trial court’s bail order pending a decision on the ED’s application for interim relief. Following this, on June 25, the High Court issued a detailed order maintaining the stay on the trial court’s decision.
Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi, was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) five days after a related enforcement by the ED, this time concerning a corruption case linked to the controversial Delhi liquor policy scam. This case continues to unravel layers of alleged maladministration and purported favoritism.
Central investigative agencies have highlighted significant irregularities in the modification of the Delhi government’s excise policy for the fiscal year 2021-22. Accusations include providing undue advantages to certain licensees, which have stirred considerable controversy and scrutiny.
In November 2021, the Delhi government introduced a revamped policy aimed at transforming the liquor trade within the national capital. Spearheaded by Kejriwal’s administration, this policy ceased the sale of alcohol through government outlets, opening the avenue for private entities to secure licenses to operate retail stores. The government advocated that this change would curb black marketing, boost the Delhi government’s revenues, and provide tangible benefits to consumers.
However, this new policy was short-lived. Amid rising criticism and alleged procedural lapses, the Kejriwal-led government decided to revert to the previous liquor policy, abandoning the newly established regulations.
