The Supreme Court of India is set to hear the bail pleas filed by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday, September 5th. Kejriwal is seeking release from custody following his arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy case.
Kejriwal’s legal team is challenging the Delhi High Court’s decision upholding his arrest. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader has argued that his detention is unwarranted and that the allegations against him lack merit.
The Supreme Court had initially adjourned the hearing on August 23rd, granting the CBI a week to respond to the petitions. Additional Solicitor General SV Raju sought further time to file a counter-affidavit, stating that the CBI’s response had already been submitted in one of the petitions.
Kejriwal’s latest appeal to the Supreme Court challenges the Delhi High Court’s August 5th order, which dismissed his plea against the CBI arrest. The High Court, however, granted him the opportunity to seek bail from the trial court.
The CBI had filed a fourth supplementary chargesheet on September 3rd, formally naming Kejriwal as an accused in the case. The chargesheet alleges irregularities in the formation and implementation of the Delhi liquor excise policy for the year 2021-22.
Kejriwal’s arrest by the CBI occurred on June 26th, while he was already in custody of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a related money laundering case. The Supreme Court granted him interim bail in the money laundering case on July 12th, referring the petition challenging his ED arrest to a larger bench. However, he remained in judicial custody due to the CBI arrest.
Kejriwal is currently the only key political figure behind bars in connection with this case. Several other individuals accused in the case have been granted bail in recent months. These include former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) legislator K Kavitha, and Vijay Nair, the former communication in-charge of the Aam Aadmi Party. Another AAP leader, Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh, was released on bail in April 2024.
There are approximately 40 individuals facing charges related to the case, including allegations of money laundering by the ED and corruption by the CBI. Besides Kejriwal, five individuals remain in judicial custody.
