The Supreme Court on Wednesday denied bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. The AAP supremo had filed a plea seeking bail in the case registered by the CBI in connection with the Delhi liquor policy case.
The apex court bench comprising of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan has also issued a notice to the CBI in another plea filed by Kejriwal where he has challenged his arrest and sought bail.
The court said “no interim bail for (Kejriwal) now” and scheduled the matter for hearing on August 23.
Kejriwal had filed a plea before the Supreme Court after the Delhi High Court rejected his challenge to the arrest.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo and Delhi CM, Kejriwal, had already got bail in the case by the Enforcement Directorate.
During the hearing on Wednesday (August 14), Senior Advocate Abhishek Singhvi, arguing for Kejriwal, told the SC that it is a “strange situation”.
Singhvi said he wondered when Kejriwal got bail under the stringent PMLA, how could he be denied regular bail in the CBI case since the Prevention of Corruption Act does not have stringent conditions similar to the money laundering law.
Singhvi termed Kejriwal’s arrest by the CBI an “insurance arrest” which was made on the cusp of his release in the ED case.
Singhvi also emphasised the parallels between Kejriwal’s case and that of former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, who was recently released on bail after spending 17 months in jail in connection with the excise policy case.
What Kejriwal’s bail plea said?
Couple of days after the Supreme Court granted bail to Sisodia the CBI and the ED, Kejriwal had challenged his arrest and subsequent remand order.
Kejriwal’s plea, which relied heavily on the bail verdict of Sisodia, argued that the grounds on which the court found it appropriate to release Sisodia on bail should equally apply to him.
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Manish Sisodia gets bail, SC says AAP leader ‘deprived of right to speedy trial’
The Delhi CM’s plea highlighted the SC’s observations in the Sisodia case that prolonged incarceration without trial could amount to a violation of fundamental rights, particularly when the investigation is largely complete, and the accused has deep roots in society, reducing the risk of absconding.
On August 5, the Delhi High Court upheld Kejriwal’s arrest, ruling it lawful. The court found no malice in the CBI actions, suggesting that Kejriwal’s influence could potentially deter witnesses from testifying.
It further directed Kejriwal to seek regular bail from the trial court in the CBI case. The court also acknowledged that the evidence collection loop against the Delhi CM was completed post-arrest and that the CBI’s actions were justified and legal.
Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 21 and was granted bail by the trial court in a money laundering case on June 20.
However, the Delhi HC stayed the trial court’s bail order. On July 12, the SC granted Kejriwal interim bail in the same case.
With inputs from agencies.
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Kejriwal to stay in jail through Independence Day, SC denies interim bail in liquor policy case
