The Supreme Court has scheduled a hearing for September 5 regarding Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s applications for bail and his challenge against the recent CBI arrest linked to the alleged excise policy scam.
A bench led by justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan permitted the CBI to submit its counter affidavit, granting Kejriwal two days to respond.
Senior counsel representing Kejriwal stated that the CBI had only submitted a counter affidavit for one of the petitions, which was delivered late on the evening of August 22, 2024.
The Additional Solicitor General indicated that the counter for the second plea would be filed within a week.
On August 14, the Supreme Court had denied Kejriwal’s request for interim bail and requested a response from the CBI concerning his arrest challenge. The CBI apprehended him on June 26.
The Delhi High Court had validated his arrest in an August 5 ruling, asserting no malice was present in CBI’s actions and indicating that Kejriwal might influence witnesses who felt emboldened to testify only after his detention.
The High Court directed Kejriwal to seek regular bail from the trial court and concluded that evidence collected post-arrest justified the action taken against him.
Furthermore, the High Court noted that Kejriwal’s status as a prominent political figure enhanced his influence over witnesses, which was corroborated by a special prosecutor’s claims. This influence contributed to the lack of witness cooperation prior to his arrest.
The court highlighted that the buildup of evidence connecting Kejriwal to the allegations was solidified only after his detention, dismissing claims of improperly conducted procedures by the CBI.
Kejriwal had previously faced arrest by the ED on March 21 and was granted bail in that money laundering case on June 20, but the High Court later stayed that ruling.
The Supreme Court granted him interim bail on July 12 related to the money laundering allegations.
The excise policy has been a focal point since its annulment in 2022, following the Delhi Lieutenant Governor’s order for a CBI investigation into possible misconduct and corruption during its development and execution, with allegations of favoritism towards license holders surfacing during the inquiry.
