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Informist, Monday, Aug 5, 2024

 

--HC rejects Kejriwal plea against CBI arrest in liquor policy case 

--HC disposes of Kejriwal's bail plea; says can go to trial court 

 

NEW DELHI – The Delhi High Court today rejected a plea by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal challenging his arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation in the liquor policy case. The high court also disposed of Kejriwal's petition for bail in the case being probed by the CBI. The high court gave Kejriwal liberty to move the trial court to seek bail.

 

"It cannot be said that the arrest (by CBI) was without any justiciable reason or is illegal. So far as the bail application is concerned, it has been disposed of with liberty to approach trial court," said Justice Neena Bansal Krishna. A detailed order is awaited. Sanjeev Nasiar, head of Aam Aadmi Party's legal cell, said that the party would challenge the high court's order on bail and arrest in the Supreme Court.

 

Following this order by the high court, Kejriwal will remain in jail as of now as he is in judicial custody till Aug 8. On Jul 12, the Supreme Court granted the Delhi chief minister interim bail in the Enforcement Directorate's probe in the same case and referred legal questions arising out of his petition challenging his arrest by agency to a larger bench of the court. 

 

Both the Enforcement Directorate and the CBI are investigating the now-scrapped liquor policy. While the Enforcement Directorate is investigating the money laundering aspect of the case, the CBI is looking at irregularities. 

 

The Delhi government had announced an excise policy in November 2021, allowing private companies to distribute liquor in the national capital. Later, the policy was withdrawn after allegations of cartelisation and monopoly. Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on Mar 21 in connection with a money-laundering case stemming from the liquor policy case. On Jun 26, the CBI arrested Kejriwal after the Rouse Avenue court permitted it to interrogate him in the case.

 

Kejrial had moved the high court against CBI arrest and had also sought bail. Kejriwal's counsel had said that the Delhi chief minister's arrest was an "insurance arrest" to ensure that he stayed in prison. The CBI did not want to arrest Kejriwal and had no material to take him into custody, and the sequence of events made it clear that he was arrested to ensure that he remained in prison, Kejriwal's counsel had said.

 

The CBI had said that Kejriwal was the "sutradhaar" of the excise scam and there was evidence to show his involvement. The investigating agency had said that the trial court had already given a finding that the arrest was not illegal, and it passed the stage of legality of arrest in the lower court.  End

 

Reported by Surya Tripathi

Edited by Aditya Sakorkar

 

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