On Monday, the Delhi High Court dismissed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s plea challenging his arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the Excise Policy case. The court concluded that Kejriwal’s arrest was justified and not without cause.
The court also disposed of Kejriwal’s bail application, giving him the option to seek relief from the trial court. Earlier, Kejriwal’s legal team had urged the bench of Justices Neena Bansal Krishna to expedite the decision on his petitions. The same bench had previously reserved its order on Kejriwal’s regular bail plea related to the CBI’s Excise Policy case on July 29, 2024. Additionally, on July 17, 2024, the court had reserved its order on Kejriwal’s plea challenging his CBI arrest in the same case.
During the hearings, the CBI opposed the bail plea, referring to Kejriwal as the “sutradhar” or central figure in the case. CBI Special Counsel DP Singh informed the court that further evidence implicating Kejriwal had emerged during the investigation. The chargesheet, naming six individuals including Kejriwal, had been filed, but five of the accused have not yet been arrested.
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The CBI detailed that they had completed their investigation and filed the chargesheet within a month. They claimed that Kejriwal, as the head of the cabinet, played a pivotal role in the excise policy scam, noting that he signed and circulated the policy rapidly during the COVID-19 pandemic. The CBI also highlighted testimony from IAS officer C. Aravind, who stated that Kejriwal was present when Vijay Nair brought the excise policy for computer entry.
Furthermore, CBI Counsel DP Singh stated that the agency had traced Rs 44 crores related to the case, which was allegedly sent to Goa. Singh also claimed that Kejriwal instructed his candidates not to worry about the funds and to focus on the elections. The CBI contended that while direct evidence may be limited, witness testimonies and 164 statements made in court suggest Kejriwal’s involvement.
In response, Senior Advocate Dr. Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Kejriwal, argued that the case constituted an “insurance arrest.” Singhvi noted that Kejriwal had already been granted bail thrice in the ED case and highlighted the absence of new developments or confrontations since his arrest by the CBI. He also emphasized that the excise policy, a result of extensive deliberations and published in July 2021, involved multiple inter-ministerial committees.
Kejriwal’s plea to the Delhi High Court stressed that as the National Convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party and the sitting Chief Minister of Delhi, he was facing undue persecution and harassment.
(WITH INPUTS FROM ANI)
