The Delhi High Court has issued a notice to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) regarding Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's bail petition in a corruption case related to the alleged excise policy scam. The court has directed the probe agency to respond to Kejriwal's bail petition.
Newswire PTI reported that Justice Neena Bansal Krishna notified the CBI about the bail plea and scheduled the next hearing for July 17.
Kejriwal's counsel, Abhishek Singhvi, argued that the leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) does not pose a flight risk and is not a terrorist. Singhvi pointed out that Kejriwal was arrested by the CBI after securing bail in a related money laundering case filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
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The CBI, represented by advocate DP Singh, objected to Kejriwal's direct approach to the High Court without first filing a bail application in the trial court.
Arvind Kejriwal, the Aam Aadmi Party's national convener, was arrested by the CBI on June 26 and is currently in judicial custody at Tihar Jail.
Earlier, the ED arrested Kejriwal on March 21 in the same money laundering case. The trial court granted him bail on June 20. However, the high court subsequently overturned the trial court's bail order, leading to Kejriwal's continued detention in Tihar Jail.
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The excise policy was scrapped in 2022 after the Delhi lieutenant governor ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into alleged irregularities and corruption in its formulation and execution. The Central Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement Directorate have alleged irregularities in modifying the excise policy and extending undue favours to license holders.
(With inputs from PTI)
