Delhi HC rejects Kejriwal's petition against CBI arrest in liquor policy case
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New Delhi: On Monday, the Delhi High Court dismissed Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s petition challenging his arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the liquor policy case, as reported by Live Law.
Justice Neena Bansal Krishna denied bail to the Aam Aadmi Party leader but allowed him to seek bail from the trial court. "It cannot be said that the arrest was without any justifiable reason or is illegal," stated Krishna. The CBI is investigating corruption allegations against Kejriwal in this case, while the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is probing related money-laundering charges.
On July 12, the Supreme Court granted Kejriwal interim bail in the ED case against him. However, he remained in jail due to his arrest by the CBI on June 25 in the same matter. The High Court had reserved its decision on Kejriwal’s petition against his CBI arrest on July 17, and on his bail petition on July 29.
Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Kejriwal, argued that the CBI’s arrest was an "insurance arrest," anticipating relief for Kejriwal in the ED’s money-laundering case. Singhvi claimed the CBI's application to the trial court for Kejriwal’s arrest did not specify the provisions under which he was detained and argued that Kejriwal had not been given prior notice.
Special Public Prosecutor DP Singh, representing the CBI, countered that the term "insurance arrest" was unjustified. He noted that multiple petitions and applications had been filed without any court observations on violations by the CBI. He also accused Kejriwal of attempting to derail the investigation by blaming others during questioning.
The ED arrested the Aam Aadmi Party chief on March 21, based on a CBI first information report. Both central agencies allege that the AAP government modified Delhi’s now-scrapped liquor policy, increasing the commission for wholesalers from 5% to 12%, facilitating the receipt of bribes from wholesalers with substantial market share and turnover.