National Desk, 5th August: The Delhi High Court on August 5 rejected Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s petition challenging his arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the ongoing liquor policy corruption case. Justice Neena Bansal Krishna ruled that Kejriwal’s arrest was not unjustified or illegal, and dismissed his bail plea, directing him to seek relief from the trial court.
Kejriwal’s legal team, including Senior Advocates Abhishek Manu Singhvi, N Hariharan, and Ramesh Gupta, argued that his arrest was an “insurance arrest” made after the Supreme Court granted interim bail in a related Enforcement Directorate (ED) case. They questioned the lack of charges against former Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal and other officials involved in approving the policy.
In contrast, CBI Special Public Prosecutor DP Singh labeled Kejriwal as the “mastermind” behind the alleged scam, citing direct evidence of his involvement. Singh noted that the trial court had already ruled the arrest as legal and emphasized that the filing of a chargesheet did not automatically guarantee bail.
The CBI had previously examined Kejriwal in Tihar jail with court permission. Kejriwal, who is in judicial custody facing both corruption and money laundering charges, approached the High Court for bail without first petitioning the trial court.
This ruling follows the Supreme Court’s interim bail grant to Kejriwal in the ED’s case, while deferring the challenge to his arrest to a larger bench.
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