The Delhi High Court will hear Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal’s plea against his arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday. The petition, which was filed on Monday, will be heard by a bench led by Justice Neena Bansal Krishna.
Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 21 in connection with the Delhi excise policy case. Following this, the CBI arrested him in June. The CBI’s arrest came just days after a local court granted Kejriwal bail in the money laundering case linked to the excise policy case.
In addition to challenging his arrest, Kejriwal has also contested a June 26 order by the trial court, which remanded him to the CBI’s custody for three days.
The trial court had sent Kejriwal to judicial custody until July 12 in the corruption case, citing that his name had surfaced as one of the main conspirators and that further custodial interrogation might be required as the investigation progresses.
The CBI has claimed that Kejriwal has not been cooperating with the investigation and has provided evasive replies during his three-day custody. They also expressed concerns that Kejriwal might influence witnesses in the ongoing Delhi excise policy case.
On June 26, the trial court refused to declare Kejriwal’s arrest by the CBI illegal. The trial judge stated that while the timing of the arrest might be “circumspect,” it was not a sufficient criterion to declare the arrest illegal.
The judge emphasized that while the investigation is the prerogative of the investigating agency, certain safeguards must be maintained, and on the material available at this stage, the arrest could not be deemed illegal. However, the agency was cautioned against being overzealous.
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The agencies have accused Arvind Kejriwal and other AAP leaders of accepting ₹100 crore as kickbacks in exchange for formulating a liquor policy favorable to a group of politicians and businessmen. This policy was later scrapped after the Delhi Lieutenant Governor recommended a probe into irregularities in granting licenses.
The upcoming hearing in the Delhi High Court is a significant development in the case, as Kejriwal seeks to challenge the actions taken against him by the investigative agencies.
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