‘I’m not a terrorist’, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal tells High Court

New Delhi, July 17

Asserting that he was “not a terrorist”, but the Chief Minister of Delhi, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday assailed his arrest by the CBI in a corruption case linked to the excise policy ‘scam’ and sought his release on bail, saying his arrest was not as per the law.

“It is unfortunately an insurance arrest. I have effectively three release orders in his favour (in the ED case) under very stringent provisions… These orders show that the man is entitled to be released. He would have been released, but for this insurance arrest,” senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi told Justice Neena Bansal Krishna on behalf of Kejriwal.

Opposing Kejriwal’s petition, CBI counsel DP Singh said terming the arrest an “insurance arrest” was unjustified.

Justice Krishna, who heard the matter on a holiday on account of Muharram, reserved the order on Kejriwal’s petitions challenging his arrest by the CBI in the excise policy case and seeking interim bail even as she listed his regular bail plea for further arguments on July 29.

Arrested on March 21 by the ED, the AAP national convener was released on a 21-day interim bail by the top court on May 10 to enable him to campaign in the Lok Sabha poll. He surrendered on June 2. On June 26, Kejriwal was arrested by the CBI in a corruption case linked to the excise policy scam. He has challenged his arrest by the CBI before the high court

Probe agencies alleged that irregularities were committed while modifying the excise policy and undue favours extended to licence holders.

The Supreme Court had on July 12 granted interim bail to Kejriwal in a money-laundering case linked to excise policy ‘scam’ even as it referred certain legal issues arising out of his petition against arrest under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act to a larger Bench.

‘Insurance arrest’

It is unfortunately an insurance arrest. I have three release orders in his favour under very stringent provisions… He would have been released, but for this insurance arrest. — Abhishek Manu Singhvi, senior advocate

(With PTI inputs)