Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal files a case with the Supreme Court challenging a CBI arrest over a liquor policy
The head of the Aam Aadmi Party and Delhi’s chief minister, Arvind Kejriwal, has filed a case in the Supreme Court challenging his arrest by the The Central Bureau of Investigation concerning the liquor policy case in Delhi.
Kejriwal’s latest plea in the Supreme Court challenges the Delhi High Court order of August 5, under which his plea against CBI arrest was dismissed by a single judge bench, granting him liberty to approach the trial court for bail.
The Chief Justice of India should hold an urgent hearing on the matter, according to senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi. CJI DY Chandrachud promised to look over the email request and set up a time.
The AAP chief was formally arrested by the CBI on June 26, 2024, when he was in the custody of the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case arising out of the alleged liquor policy scam.
A few weeks later, on July 12, the Supreme Court granted Kejriwal interim bail in the money laundering case. However, he continued to be in judicial custody due to his arrest by the CBI.. Kejriwal filed a motion with the Delhi High Court, contesting the CBI’s arrest and requesting bail. On August 5, Justice Nina Bansal Krishna rejected his plea contesting the CBI’s arrest, but she gave him permission to go before the lower court to request bail. Kejriwal petitioned the Supreme Court, feeling vindictive over the high court’s ruling. Vivek Jain, an advocate-on-record, has submitted the plea.
Notably, on July 12, the Supreme Court had granted interim bail to Kejriwal in the money laundering case, while referring his plea challenging the ED arrest to a larger bench. Specifically, a bench of Justices The question of whether or not an arrest should be deemed necessary or inevitable in order to comply with Section 19 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act was referred by Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Dutta to the larger bench.
