Delhi HC seeks ED, Tihar Jail responses to Kejriwal’s plea for additional meetings with lawyers

Delhi High Court has directed Tihar Jail authorities to respond to a plea from Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is currently incarcerated in connection with Delhi excise scam cases. Kejriwal seeks additional virtual meetings with his lawyers.

Justice Neena Bansal Krishna granted the authorities five days to submit their reply and scheduled the matter for further argument on July 15.

Kejriwal had contested a trial court’s decision on July 1 that denied his request for directions to allow him two extra weekly meetings with his lawyers via video conference.

Currently, he is permitted two such meetings per week. His legal team argued that due to approximately 35 ongoing litigations across the country, he requires the additional meetings to ensure a fair trial.

The Enforcement Directorate’s counsel expressed a desire to respond to Kejriwal’s plea. During the proceedings, the jail authorities’ representative stated that all prisoners are entitled to two legal meetings per week, regardless of the number of cases they are involved in, and asserted that additional meetings were unnecessary since not all 35 cases are heard simultaneously within a week.

Kejriwal’s challenges include contesting his arrest in a corruption case related to the excise policy scam and seeking bail, both of which are pending before the high court. He was arrested by the CBI on June 26 and remains in judicial custody at Tihar Jail, also facing a connected money laundering case filed by the ED.

The excise policy under scrutiny was annulled in 2022 following allegations of irregularities and corruption in its formulation and execution, prompting investigations by the CBI and ED into alleged misconduct and undue benefits to license holders. (With inputs from PTI)