Supreme Court to Rule on Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s Bail Petition in Liquor Policy Scam Case
In a significant development set to unfold on Friday, the Supreme Court of India will render its judgment on the bail petition filed by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the high-profile corruption case linked to the alleged liquor policy scam. This ruling will address not only Kejriwal’s request for bail but also a separate plea challenging his arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the subsequent remand order.
According to the cause list available on the Supreme Court’s website, a bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan will deliver their judgment at 10:30 a.m. Justice Kant will head the bench, with Justice Bhuyan likely to present a separate opinion on the matters at hand.
The court proceedings last week saw intensive arguments from both sides. Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Kejriwal, argued that the CBI’s action amounted to an “insurance arrest,” suggesting that the arrest was hastily executed to preclude Kejriwal’s release in the related money laundering case. Singhvi highlighted that Kejriwal’s arrest was reportedly due to allegations of non-cooperation, yet asserted that compliance with an investigation should not compel an accused to self-incriminate.
Singhvi further argued that Kejriwal, a high-ranking constitutional official, met the criteria for bail. He stressed that Kejriwal posed no flight risk, would fully cooperate with the investigative process, and could not tamper with extensive documentation and digital evidence accumulated over two years.
Conversely, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) S.V. Raju, representing the CBI, contended that releasing Kejriwal on bail could jeopardize the integrity of the investigation. Raju expressed concerns that witnesses might become hostile if Kejriwal were granted bail. He also challenged the procedural validity of Kejriwal’s bail petition, arguing that the trial court, rather than the Delhi High Court, should have been approached initially.
Raju defended the legality of Kejriwal’s arrest, emphasizing that it was executed in compliance with a court order and did not infringe upon fundamental rights. He noted that Kejriwal’s arrest followed a court’s directive, which precludes claims of rights violations.
Recently, the Supreme Court granted bail to other prominent figures in related cases, including senior AAP leader and former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, BRS leader K. Kavitha, and AAP’s former communications chief Vijay Nair. Kejriwal’s special leave petition challenges both his arrest and remand orders, while the CBI dismisses his claims as attempts to politically sensationalize the case, asserting that judicial scrutiny has consistently validated the commission of the alleged offenses.
The Supreme Court had previously granted Kejriwal interim bail on July 12 in connection with a money laundering case brought by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). However, this did not lead to his release due to his concurrent arrest by the CBI.
In the meantime, a Delhi court extended Kejriwal’s judicial custody until September 25, with the Chief Minister appearing via video conference from Tihar Jail following the expiration of his previous custody period. The outcome of the Supreme Court’s ruling will be keenly anticipated as it may set a precedent in the ongoing investigation and legal proceedings related to the liquor policy case.
