Excise policy scam: SC to hear Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal's pleas against arrest by CBI tomorrow

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The Supreme Court (SC) is scheduled to hear Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's pleas seeking bail and challenging his arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the alleged excise policy scam on Thursday, PTI reported.

According to the cause list, a bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan is likely to hear the matter.

On August 23, the apex court permitted CBI to file its counter affidavit in the matter and gave two days to Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal to file a rejoinder.

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal filed two separate petitions challenging the denial of bail and against his arrest by the central agency in the case. He challenged the August 5 order of the Delhi High Court upholding his arrest.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief was arrested by CBI on June 26.

On August 14, the top court refused to grant the Delhi CM interim bail in the case and sought a response from the probe agency on his plea challenging his arrest.

The Delhi High Court (HC) on August 5 upheld the arrest of the chief minister as legal, and said there was no malice in the acts done by CBI, which was able to demonstrate how the AAP supremo could influence witnesses who could muster the courage to depose only after his arrest.

HC asked the Delhi Chief Minister to move the trial court for regular bail in the CBI case.

It noted that the loop of evidence against the chief minister closed after the collection of relevant evidence, following his arrest by the central agency, and it cannot be said that it was without any justifiable reason or illegal. The court further noted that Kejriwal is not an ordinary citizen but a distinguished recipient of the Magsaysay Award and the convenor of AAP.

HC dismissed Kejriwal's plea challenging his arrest, saying it was only after sufficient evidence was collected and sanction was obtained in April that the agency proceeded with further probe against him.

It was noted that the links to the crime extended even to Punjab but material witnesses were not coming forward owing to the influence exercised by the Delhi CM. It was only after he got arrested that the witnesses came forward to record their statements, the court observed.

Kejriwal, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 21, was granted bail by the trial court in the money laundering case on June 20. However, the trial court's order was stayed by the Delhi HC.

On July 12, the top court granted him interim bail in the money laundering case.

The excise policy was scrapped in 2022 after the Delhi Lieutenant Governor ordered a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities and corruption in its formulation and execution.

According to CBI and ED, irregularities were committed while modifying the excise policy, and undue favours were extended to licence holders.

(With PTI inputs)