The Supreme Court will hear on August 14 the petition of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, in which he has challenged the Delhi High Court order maintaining his arrest by the CBI in a corruption case related to the alleged excise policy scam.
The apex court will also hear Kejriwal’s petition requesting bail in this case separately. A bench of Justice Suryakant and Justice Ujjwal Bhuiyan will hear both the petitions of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convenor.
The Supreme Court had agreed to hear his plea on Monday (August 13) after senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for Arvind Kejriwal, requested for urgent listing of the matter.
Delhi High Court had declared the arrest valid
On August 5, the Delhi High Court had upheld the chief minister’s arrest and said there was no malice in the actions of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), showing how the Aam Aadmi Party leader could influence witnesses who could muster the courage to testify only after his arrest.
The High Court had asked him to approach the lower court for regular bail in the CBI case. The High Court had said that after the arrest of the Chief Minister by the CBI and collection of relevant evidence, the circle of evidence against him was closed and it cannot be said that it was without any reasonable cause or illegal.
What did the Delhi High Court say during the hearing?
It said that Kejriwal is not an ordinary citizen but a Magsaysay Award winner and the convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party. The High Court had said, “His control and influence over the witnesses is prima facie evident from the fact that these witnesses could muster the courage to testify only after the arrest of the petitioner, as revealed by the special prosecutor.”
“Also, it establishes that the circle of evidence against the petitioner was closed after collecting relevant evidence after his arrest. No malice can be inferred from the acts of the respondent (CBI),” the court said.
‘The strings of Delhi’s liquor policy extend to Punjab’
The High Court had dismissed Kejriwal’s plea challenging his arrest and said the agency could proceed with further probe against him only after sufficient evidence was collected and approval was granted in April 2024.
The court had said that the strings of the crime extend to Punjab, but the witnesses are not coming forward due to Kejriwal’s influence because of his position. The High Court had said that the witnesses came forward to record their statements only after his arrest.
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