Excise policy case: Kejriwal moves Delhi court for regular bail
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday submitted a request for regular bail to Rouse Avenue court in the money laundering case linked to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy. This comes a day after the Supreme Court Kejriwal's plea seeking a seven-day extension of his interim bail. On Monday, Kejriwal filed a fresh petition, seeking an extension on health grounds. In his plea, Kejriwal highlighted the need for medical tests due to a 7kg weight loss and elevated ketone levels.
Why does this story matter?
On May 10, the apex court granted the CM interim bail for a 21-day term till June 1 to campaign for the Lok Sabha elections. Notably, under interim bail guidelines, Kejriwal cannot visit his office or interact with any witnesses related to this case. They also prohibit him from signing official documents. To recall, Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 21 in the excise policy case.
SC refused urgent hearing of Kejriwal's plea
On Wednesday, the SC registry said the petition was not maintainable as Kejriwal had been given the liberty to move the trial court for regular bail. On Tuesday, a vacation bench of the Supreme Court comprising Justices JK Maheshwari and KV Viswanathan denied an urgent hearing on the matter, saying that the Chief Justice of India could take the decision on the listing of the interim plea as the judgment has been reserved in the main matter.
'Kejriwal's health condition necessitates medical tests'
Kejriwal is expected to surrender before the police on June 2—a day after polling concludes for the genral elections. His legal counsel has argued that the medical tests are crucial for his well-being and requested the court to consider an extension for completing the necessary tests. Preliminary examinations have already been conducted by Max Hospital's medical team. The Aam Aadmi Party stated that "these may be symptoms of some serious disease" and that Kejriwal "needs to undergo...many other tests."
Excise policy case explained
In November 2021, the Delhi government introduced the excise policy for 2021-22. However, less than a year later, it opted to abandon it following widespread corruption accusations. Central investigation agencies asserted that wholesaler profit margins were artificially inflated to 12% from 5%, promoting cartelization and benefiting ineligible license holders. The Kejriwal-led Delhi administration had refuted the allegations, arguing that the policy would have boosted revenue.
AAP's alleged role in the case
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) alleges that liquor companies involved paid kickbacks amounting to ₹100 crore to the AAP, some of which were routed to public servants. According to the ED, the party used the illegally generated funds to campaign for the Goa and Punjab elections
