Delhi High Court Seeks CBI Response to Arvind Kejriwal’s Bail Plea in Excise Policy Corruption Case
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Friday requested the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to respond to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s bail application in relation to the corruption case filed by the CBI concerning the alleged excise policy scam.
Justice Neena Bansal Krishna issued a notice to the CBI regarding the bail plea and scheduled the next hearing for July 17.
Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, representing Kejriwal, argued that the AAP leader is neither a flight risk nor a terrorist, and noted that the CBI arrested him following his bail in the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) money laundering case.
Advocate DP Singh, representing the CBI, objected to Kejriwal’s direct appeal to the High Court without first submitting the bail application to the trial court.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener was arrested by the CBI on June 26 while in judicial custody at Tihar Jail, where he remains in connection with a related money laundering case filed by the ED.
Kejriwal was initially arrested by the ED on March 21 and was granted bail by the trial court in the money laundering case on June 20. However, this order was subsequently stayed by the High Court.
The excise policy, which was scrapped in 2022, came under scrutiny after the Delhi lieutenant governor ordered a CBI investigation into alleged irregularities and corruption in its formulation and implementation.
According to the CBI and the ED, there were irregularities in the modification of the excise policy, with undue favours allegedly extended to license holders.
