In a significant legal development, a Delhi court granted bail to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on June 20, thehindu.com reported.
The bail was granted in connection to a money laundering case tied to the now-scrapped Delhi Excise policy of 2021-22. The decision was made by Vacation Judge Niyay Bindu at the Rouse Avenue Court after an extensive hearing involving both Mr. Kejriwal and the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
Judge dictated the bail order in an open court session on the evening of June 20. However, the detailed written order is still awaited. Immediately following the pronouncement, ED’s counsel, Zoheb Hossain, requested a 48-hour deferment on the signing of the bail bond to allow the central agency time to challenge the decision in an appellate court. This request was denied, with the court affirming that the bail bond would be presented before the duty judge on June 21.
Mr. Kejriwal was arrested by the ED on March 21, with the agency alleging that he was the ‘kingpin’ behind the Delhi Excise policy scam. After spending weeks in jail, he was temporarily released on May 10 by the Supreme Court to campaign for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, but he returned to jail on June 2 following the apex court’s refusal to grant further relief.
Earlier in June, Mr. Kejriwal filed two bail applications in the Rouse Avenue Court. The first, seeking a seven-day bail for medical treatment, was denied on June 5. The second application, requesting regular bail, was approved on June 20. The case against Mr. Kejriwal originated from an FIR filed by the CBI on the complaint of the Lieutenant-Governor of Delhi, alleging multiple irregularities in the 2021-22 excise policy. This policy was later withdrawn by the state. Following the CBI’s investigation, the ED initiated a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, alleging that proceeds from the excise policy were funneled through “hawala” channels to finance the AAP’s campaign in Goa ahead of the 2022 Assembly elections. Several arrests have been made in this case, including former Deputy CM Manish Sisodia, AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, and BRS leader K. Kavitha. While Ms. Kavitha and Mr. Sisodia remain in jail, Mr. Singh was granted bail earlier this year.
Opposing Mr. Kejriwal’s bail plea, the ED argued that he had stayed in a seven-star hotel in Goa, with the bill allegedly paid through kickback money. The agency contended that while Mr. Kejriwal may not have directly committed the offense, his position as head of the AAP implicated him in the party’s actions. Senior Advocate Vikram Chaudhary, representing Mr. Kejriwal, countered these claims, asserting that the ED’s conclusions were hypothetical and lacked evidence of a money trail.
