Supreme Court Rejects Interim Bail for Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal in Corruption Case Linked to Excise Policy Scam

Supreme Court Rejects Interim Bail for Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal in Corruption Case Linked to Excise Policy Scam

The Supreme Court refused to entertain an application by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for interim bail in connection with a corruption case filed by the CBI regarding an alleged excise policy scam and dismissed it on Wednesday.

The court issued a notice to CBI and slated the matter for further hearing on August 23 while saying “no interim bail for now” in the plea by Kejriwal, challenging his arrest and seeking bail. The Delhi Chief Minister was arrested by the ED on March 21, 2024, in connection to the now-scrapped liquor policy of the AAP government here in the national capital; subsequently, he was arrested also by CBI.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had granted Kejriwal interim bail in the ED case on July 12. The court agreed to take up Kejriwal’s plea on Monday after senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, representing him, requested an urgent listing.

On 5 August, the Delhi High Court dismissed Kejriwal’s petition and termed his arrest by the CBI as legal. No malice was found by the High Court in the actions of the central agencies; it held that ‘arrest was on sufficient evidence and sanction was obtained for it’.

The CBI countered that being the leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Kejriwal would wield substantial influence over all witnesses, who will find the courage to speak up against the officers it has arrested only after Kejriwal is arrested. Kejriwal responded thusly before the High Court: “As National Convenor of a major political party and a sitting Chief Minister, petitioner (Kejriwal) is being prosecuted for extraneous and malafide reasons in a gross abuse of the due process of law.”

Also Read: Supreme Court to Hear Arvind Kejriwal’s Plea Against Delhi High Court Order Upholding His Arrest

However, the High Court has further observed that the evidence chain against Kejriwal was complete only after the arrest was made following the collection of some relevant evidence, thus ruling out the charge of malice on the part of the CBI.

Kejriwal’s bail plea was filed in the SC days after the top court granted bail to senior AAP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi Manish Sisodia in the very same case, after undergoing 17 months of imprisonment. Central probe agencies say the excise policy in 2022 was changed allegedly irregularly, and undue favour was given to license holders by the Delhi government. The policy, mired in controversy, was scrapped after the Delhi Lieutenant Governor ordered a CBI probe into alleged irregularities and corruption related to it.