Delhi, New: The Delhi High Court denied Arvind Kejriwal request to be released from custody in a corruption case involving the Delhi Liquor Policy, pending the adjudication of the Enforcement Directorate’s petition. Just hours before Mr. Arvind Kejriwal was released from Tihar jail, the ED contested his bail in the case today. Before a bench of Justices Sudhir Kumar Jain and Ravinder Dudeja, the ED mentioned its plea contesting the trial court’s decision for an urgent hearing, which stated that it would hear the matter after receiving the case file in ten to fifteen minutes. The high court declared that the trial court’s order would only be implemented then.
Aam Aadmi Party leaders and Mr. Kejriwal’s wife, Sunita Kejriwal, were scheduled to meet the Delhi Chief Minister at Tihar Jail around 4 PM today. A Delhi court yesterday authorized Mr. Kejriwal’s release on a ₹1 lakh personal bail. However, the court placed restrictions on Mr. Kejriwal’s release, stating that he would not attempt to obstruct the inquiry or sway the witnesses. Mr. Arvind Kejriwal argued before the court that not enough evidence had been submitted by the investigating agency since the Chief Minister of Delhi was arrested on March 21. Following several rounds of bail denials in trial courts for Arvind Kejriwal, the bail was finally granted. Despite demands for his resignation from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, he has not resigned as Chief Minister of Delhi. Mr. Arvind Kejriwal was granted temporary bail by the Supreme Court in May so that he may campaign for the election. Two days before the announcement of the findings, he was back in prison. While developing the Delhi liquor strategy for 2021–2022, the ED detained Mr. Kejriwal on suspicion of money laundering; however, the policy was later withdrawn after the Lieutenant Governor raised concerns. Since Mr. Kejriwal is the AAP convenor, the ED has claimed that the money he received from the liquor vendors was utilized to finance the party’s campaign in Goa.
Notably, hours before Arvind Kejriwal was freed from Tihar jail, The ED contested his bail in the case on Friday
Special public prosecutor Zoeb Hossain, additional solicitor general SV Raju, and other members of the probe agency’s legal team, together with ED’s counsels, brought up the urgent hearing request before the High Court’s vacation bench. “We were not given enough time to present our case before the vacation judge…The additional solicitor general claimed that he had not even been given enough time to submit a written application.
“They didn’t even take into account my request for a stay of the bail order. I’m demanding that the matter be heard as quickly as possible and that the order be stayed. We were not given the chance to present our argument in its entirety. I take the accusations I’m making very seriously,” he continued. While drafting the Delhi liquor policy for 2021–2022, the ED detained Kejriwal on March 21 on suspicion of money laundering. The policy was eventually canceled due to concerns made by the Lieutenant Governor. Since Kejriwal is the AAP convenor, the ED has claimed that the money he received from the liquor vendors was utilized to finance the party’s campaign in Goa.
On Friday, days before a new parliamentary session convenes on Monday, Arvind Kejriwal is anticipated to be released from prison
The chief minister of Delhi is a crucial component of the opposition INDIA bloc, which is headed by the main opposition Congress party. The Congress party surprised observers and pollsters alike by dramatically increasing its national vote share. “Jail becomes a responsibility when power becomes a dictatorship,” Arvind Kejriwal declared before turning himself in to the police earlier this month. Several opposition politicians in India are being investigated for criminal offenses related to corruption. According to Modi’s opponents, the premier is using these probes to undermine any prospective rivals.
Arvind Kejriwal, 55, was a fervent opponent of corruption when he first took office and has served as chief minister of Delhi, the territory that encompasses the capital, New Delhi, for almost ten years. After liberalizing the sale of alcohol in 2021 and giving up a sizable government stake in the industry, his government was also accused of corruption. The following year, the policy was reversed, but not before an investigation into the purportedly dishonest licensing process resulted in the incarceration of two prominent Arvind Kejriwal loyalists.