Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Monday dismissed Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s bail plea and his challenge to the CBI arrest in the alleged liquor policy scam, directing him to seek relief from the trial court.
AAP sources have indicated that Mr. Kejriwal will now move the Supreme Court.
Initially arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in March, just weeks before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Mr. Kejriwal has been in jail for 115 days. Although the Supreme Court granted him regular bail on July 12 for his ED arrest, it did not extend to his arrest by the CBI.
The CBI apprehended Mr. Kejriwal in June, shortly after Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court granted him bail for the ED arrest—a decision later upheld by the Supreme Court.
Last month, senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, representing Mr. Kejriwal, criticized the CBI’s case against his client as based on hearsay and lacking direct evidence. “They refer to AAP spending Rs 4 crore on publicity. I wonder how much money the ruling party has spent on publicity. I wonder if CBI will ask them the question. Today there is no direct evidence, no recovery. There is pure hearsay,” Mr. Singhvi argued.
He emphasized that Mr. Kejriwal met the triple test for bail: he is not a flight risk, he is unlikely to tamper with evidence, and he is unlikely to influence witnesses. He described the arrest as an “insurance arrest,” highlighting that Mr. Kejriwal had been granted bail three times in the ED case, with no significant developments since the CBI arrest.
The CBI, however, claimed to have traced a money trail amounting to Rs 44 crore in the case. “This money went to Goa. Kejriwal himself told his candidates not to worry about the money, to contest elections,” the agency’s lawyer stated.
As the legal battle continues, the AAP leader’s next move to the Supreme Court will be closely watched.
