Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s ongoing legal challenges have escalated as the
Supreme Court of India has declined to grant him interim bail in the case involving the
Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The court has scheduled a detailed bail hearing for August 23, 2024, setting the stage for a
critical examination of his case.
On August 14, 2024, Kejriwal’s legal team, led by senior advocate AM Singhvi, argued that
his recent arrest by the CBI should be seen as an “insurance arrest.”
Singhvi pointed out that Kejriwal had previously been investigated and interrogated by the
CBI, in April 2023, and subsequently arrested by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) in
March 2024.
With Kejriwal on the brink of release in the ED case, Singhvi argued that the CBI’s action
was intended to keep him in custody without any new grounds for action emerging between
April 2023 and March 2024.
Additionally, Singhvi emphasized Kejriwal’s health issues, urging the court to grant interim
bail. However, Justice Surya Kant responded firmly, stating that interim bail would not be
granted at this time.
Earlier in the legal proceedings, the Delhi High Court had affirmed the validity of Kejriwal’s
arrest by the CBI.
The court dismissed his plea to overturn the arrest, noting that the agency had only
proceeded with further investigation after collecting ample evidence and securing necessary
sanctions in April 2024.
The High Court stressed the importance of ensuring that the powers of arrest and remand
are not misused and that they are not employed in a casual or indiscriminate manner by law
enforcement agencies.
The CBI had depicted Kejriwal as the principal figure behind the alleged scandal, asserting
that his influence could potentially sway witnesses and disrupt the case.
The High Court supported this view, citing the significant control and impact Kejriwal wielded
over witnesses, who had come forward only after his arrest.
On June 25, 2024, Kejriwal’s arrest by the CBI thwarted his attempts to leave jail despite
having been granted bail in the ED case on July 12.
Prior to this, Kejriwal had been granted interim bail on May 10 to campaign for his party
during the Lok Sabha elections, after which he had returned to custody on June 2.
The Supreme Court, in its July 12 decision, reaffirmed the fundamental nature of Kejriwal’s
rights to life and liberty. Despite this, the trial court’s earlier bail order in the money
laundering case, issued on June 20, had been stayed by the High Court.
The controversy surrounding Kejriwal is rooted in the scrapping of the Delhi excise policy in 2022. This decision followed a probe ordered by the Delhi lieutenant governor into alleged
discrepancies and corruption related to the policy’s development and implementation.
Both the CBI and the ED have alleged that there were irregularities in how the excise policy
was modified, with claims of undue advantages given to certain license holders.
As the legal proceedings unfold, the focus remains on the implications of Kejriwal’s
continued detention and the broader ramifications for the excise policy case.
The upcoming hearing will be crucial in deciding whether Kejriwal will obtain the interim relief
he seeks or if his legal challenges will persist.
