Unusual: Supreme Court on High Court decision to reserve order on Arvind Kejriwal's bail

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New Delhi, June 24

There was no immediate relief for Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the alleged liquor scam case as the Supreme Court on Monday deferred the hearing on his plea challenging the interim stay on bail by the Delhi High Court till June 26.

Kejriwal had filed a petition against the high court’s interim stay on his bail granted by the trial court in a June 21 order. The Supreme Court, however, termed as “unusual” the high court’s decision of reserving the order while issuing directions for interim stay on the trial court’s order granting bail to the Delhi CM.

A Vacation Bench of Justices Manoj Misra and SVN Bhatti, which fixed June 26 for hearing Kejriwal’s plea against the interim stay granted by the high court at the time of reserving its verdict on ED’s plea, said: “Normally, on stay applications, orders are not reserved. They are passed at the hearing itself, on the spot. So, it is a bit unusual.” The apex court chose to adjourn the matter, awaiting the HC’s order on the ED’s stay application, stressing it did not want to “pre-judge” the matter.

Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Kejriwal, argued that the immediate stay of bail was unprecedented and that the balance of convenience favoured his client. He asked how Kejriwal would be compensated for the lost time if the HC dismissed ED’s appeal.

HC to pronounce judgment today

• SC Bench said it would like to wait for the pronouncement of the high court order before taking a call on Kejriwal’s appeal
• The Delhi HC will pronounce the judgment on June 25