Excise Policy scam: Delhi High Court junks Arvind Kejriwal’s plea challenging arrest by CBI
New Delhi, August 5
The Delhi High Court on Monday dismissed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s petitions challenging his arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and for seeking bail in a corruption case linked to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam.
Justice Neena Bansal disposed both petitions and in its order, the court said the arrest was not without any justiciable reasons. The high court granted liberty to Kejriwal to approach a trial court with his plea seeking bail. Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Kejriwal, had argued that Kejriwal’s arrest by the CBI was an “insurance arrest” and strategically timed after the Supreme Court granted him interim bail in a related Enforcement Directorate (ED) case.
Further, he had said that the Excise Policy at the centre of the investigation was not solely Kejriwal’s responsibility as it had also been signed by the then Lieutenant Governor (L-G) Anil Baijal.
Singhvi questioned why only Kejriwal was being targeted, suggesting that the former L-G and involved bureaucrats should also be implicated. He told the court that Kejriwal’s arrest was driven by ulterior motives, aiming to keep him behind bars by any means necessary.
CBI Special Public Prosecutor DP Singh countered that Kejriwal was the ‘sutradhar’ (mastermind) of the entire scam, and that there was direct evidence of his involvement.
Singh said that the trial court had already determined that Kejriwal’s arrest was legal, and the matter of its legality had been settled in the lower court. Regarding the lack of notice provided to Kejriwal, Singh contended that according to Delhi Prison Rules, court permission was required for interrogation and prior notice was not necessary.
He added that Kejriwal had directly approached the High Court for bail without first approaching the trial court and was currently in judicial custody on charges of corruption and money laundering related to the alleged scam. — TNS
