Delhi HC stays Arvind Kejriwal’s bail; AAP to appeal to SC against decision

Delhi High Court on Tuesday put a hold on the trial court’s decision to grant bail to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the money laundering case related to the alleged excise scam.

Justice Sudhir Kumar Jain, presiding over a vacation bench, stated that the trial court did not properly consider the evidence presented by the Enforcement Directorate and failed to thoroughly deliberate on Kejriwal’s bail plea. The judge emphasised that the trial court should have allowed the agency more opportunity to present its case.

“The operation of the impugned order is stayed,” the bench declared.

On June 20, the trial court had granted Kejriwal bail, ordering his release on a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh. The next day, the Enforcement Directorate appealed to the high court, arguing that the trial court’s decision was “perverse,” “one-sided,” and “wrong-sided,” with findings based on irrelevant facts.

The excise policy in question was scrapped in 2022 after the Delhi lieutenant governor initiated a CBI probe into alleged irregularities and corruption during its creation and implementation. Both the CBI and the ED allege that there were irregularities in the policy’s modification and undue favors were extended to license holders.

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In response to the high court’s stay, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) expressed disagreement and announced plans to challenge the decision in the Supreme Court. “We disagree with the Delhi High Court order. We will challenge it in the Supreme Court,” the party said. (With inputs from PTI)