Supreme Court to review Kejriwal's bail stay challenge today
The Supreme Court will hear a plea from Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, challenging a Delhi High Court order that stayed his bail, granted by a lower court on Wednesday. Kejriwal was granted regular bail by the Delhi Rouse Avenue Court on June 20 on a personal bond of ₹1 lakh. However, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) contested the bail ruling in the high court, which stayed it on June 21 and reserved its decision, prompting Kejriwal to move the SC.
Why does this story matter?
Kejriwal has been in custody since March 21, barring a brief period of interim bail granted by the SC for election campaigning. The ED arrested him in a money laundering case linked to the now-scrapped excise policy. The agency alleges that Kejriwal played a significant role in drafting the policy and soliciting bribes for liquor licenses. It claimed that the Aam Aadmi Party received kickbacks amounting to ₹100 crore, which were used to fund election campaigns in Goa and Punjab.
CBI's interrogation and AAP's reaction to developments
Ahead of his appearance in the Supreme Court, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) plans to present Kejriwal before a trial court. Kejriwal was interrogated by the CBI in Tihar Jail on Monday regarding the liquor policy case and again on Tuesday. The central agency subsequently obtained a production warrant for Kejriwal from a trial court. Reacting to the CBI's interrogation, AAP leader Sanjay Singh accused it of "conspiring to register a fake case" against Kejriwal.
Potential implications of Kejriwal's formal arrest
If Kejriwal is formally arrested by the CBI and they obtain his custody, he will not be able to leave Tihar Jail on Wednesday even if the Supreme Court overturns the Delhi High Court's stay on his bail. The CBI first launched an investigation into the excsie policy case on the recommendation on Delhi's Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena in July 2022.
