SC grants interim bail to Delhi CM, refers plea challenging ED arrest to larger Bench
The Supreme Court is scheduled to deliver its verdict today on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s plea challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case linked to the alleged excise policy scam.
A bench comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta had reserved its verdict on the Chief Minister’s plea on May 17.
During the hearing, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) S.V. Raju had told the Court that there was evidence of money being sent to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) through hawala channels. Mr. Raju further contended that ED discovered chats between Mr. Kejriwal and Hawala operators regarding the alleged proceeds of crime in the case.
Opposing such assertions, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Mr. Kejriwal, apprised the Court that the evidence being cited by the federal agency was not present during the Chief Minister’s arrest.
The appeal before the top Court was filed against a Delhi High Court order which upheld the Delhi CM’s arrest by recording a prima facie finding that there was adequate material, including statements of approvers, involvement of middlemen and references that cash was handed over for expenditure in the 2022 Goa elections.
Although Mr. Kejriwal was granted bail in the case by a trial Court on June 20, the High Court eventually stayed his release on the ground that the central agency had not been given adequate opportunity to argue its case. Yesterday, the ED said in its seventh supplementary chargesheet that the AAP supremo was the “kingpin” and “key conspirator” in the 2021-22 excise policy “scam”.
