The Delhi high court is expected to be approached by the Enforcement Directorate today to challenge the regular bail granted to chief minister Arvind Kejriwal by the Rouse Avenue court in the excise policy case. Arvind Kejriwal, who has been in judicial custody since March, was granted bail by vacation judge Nyay Bindu on Thursday on a bond of ₹1,00,000.
Following the refusal of the Rouse Avenue court to delay the filing of the bail bond for 48 hours, the agency is likely to file a plea against the judgement in the higher court on Friday morning, as per ANI reports. Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the agency on March 21 in connection with a money laundering probe related to the now-defunct liquor policy. The Supreme Court had granted a 21-day interim bail to Kejriwal on May 10 in light of the Lok Sabha elections, after which the AAP chief surrendered before the Tihar Jail authorities on June 2.
Arvind Kejriwal initially petitioned the Delhi high court to contest his arrest. The court, however, supported the agency’s decision, stating that it had no other choice as the Delhi chief minister had repeatedly ignored summonses.
Last month, he requested regular bail after the Supreme Court’s office rejected his plea to extend his interim bail.
During the opposition to the bail request, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) SV Raju claimed that the kickbacks received by AAP leaders to favor specific business interests were channeled into the party’s election campaign in Goa through Hawala channels. He accused Kejriwal of being in contact with Hawala dealers.
Raju further mentioned that the bribe money was transferred by Vinod Chauhan and received by Chanpreet Singh Rayat, who was managing AAP’s election campaign in Goa.
In November 2021, it was alleged that Arvind Kejriwal had stayed at the Grand Hyatt in Goa. The payment for his stay was claimed to have been made by Singh from his bank account. The agency further asserted that ₹45 crore was received by Chanpreet from Hawala operators. However, Kejriwal’s lawyer argued in court that there was no evidence provided by the agency to prove that AAP had ever received ₹45 crore.
Additionally, Chanpreet did not admit to paying for the AAP election or collecting proceeds from the alleged crime. The lawyer appealed to the court to treat Arvind Kejriwal impartially and not consider him as “someone special” when deciding on bail. Following Arvind Kejriwal’s bail, a heated exchange of words occurred between the Opposition’s INDIA bloc and the ruling BJP.
Kapil Sibal, a prominent lawyer and member of the Rajya Sabha, expressed his belief that it was long overdue for Kejriwal to be granted bail. He stated that, from the prosecution’s perspective, there was no need to keep him in jail now that the elections were over. Sibal criticized the justice delivery system, claiming that it had been unfair. Akhilesh Yadav, the Samajwadi Party chief, hailed Kejriwal’s bail as a victory for truth.
He emphasized that the power and unity of the ‘India Alliance’ would soon liberate the people of India from the BJP’s rule, leading to the formation of a coalition government. Sanjeev Nasiar, the state president of AAP Legal Cell, alleged that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) was acting under pressure from someone. He celebrated the win, stating that the case against Kejriwal was false and a conspiracy by the BJP. Nasiar also claimed that the ED had no evidence against any of their leaders. Priyanka Kakkar, the AAP spokesperson, argued that obtaining regular bail in a PMLA case was equivalent to being acquitted. She dismissed the case as completely fake and concocted in the BJP office.
Kakkar expressed gratitude to the court for delivering a historic verdict. On the other hand, the BJP asserted that the bail granted to the Delhi chief minister was part of the judicial process. They highlighted that in a democracy, the final verdict on any politician is given by the people. The BJP believed that the defeat of the AAP-Congress alliance in the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls reflected the people’s view on the allegations against Kejriwal. Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva issued a statement emphasizing this perspective.