BREAKING: Setback For Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi HC Stays Trial Court's Bail Order in Liquor Scam Case

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has agreed to an urgent hearing of the Enforcement Directorate's plea challenging bail granted to Delhi Chief Minister and AAP Chief Arvind Kejriwal in the Delhi excise policy case. The court said that the trial court order would not be given effect till the HC hears the matter. 

The Enforcement Directorate approached the Delhi High Court on Friday, June 21, regarding bail granted by Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court. The ED will shortly present its case before the vacation bench at Delhi High Court. Kejriwal was granted bail in the now scrapped Delhi excise policy by Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court on Thursday and he is expected to walk out of Tihar jail later in the day. 

This comes as the Rouse Avenue court earlier refused ED's request to postpone the process of filing the bail plea for 48 hours, the probe agency will likely move a plea against the judgement in the national capital's higher court on Friday morning, ANI reported.

The AAP convener, who has been in judicial custody since March, was granted bail on a bond of Rs 1 Lakh. He was arrested by the agency on March 21 in connection with money laundering linked to the now-scrapped liquor policy.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had granted a 21-day interim bail to Kejriwal given the Lok Sabha elections on May 10. However, the AAP chief surrendered before the Tihar Jail authorities on June 2.

Kejriwal had first moved the Delhi High Court to challenge his arrest.  However, the court upheld the agency's action stating that it was left with no other option as the Delhi Chief Minister had skipped all successive summonses.

Arvind Kejriwal Gets Bail: What Happened in Court?

After Kejriwal was granted bail at around 8 pm, AAP's legal lawyer Advocate Rishikesh Kumar said, "Today, in excise policy scam, Arvind Kejriwal was granted by Rouse Avenue court. He was granted bail on a bail bond of Rs 1 lakh...by tomorrow afternoon, Arvind Kejriwal will come out of jail. This is a big win for AAP leaders, country and people..."

Kejriwal's counsel further emphasised that the entire case against him hinges solely on statements. "The statements are of those people who have confessed to being guilty. They are not saints here. They are those who are not only tainted, but it appears that some who were arrested were given a promise of bail, and promise of being granted pardon. Approvers. And there is another category who have not been arrested."

What is the Delhi Excise Policy Case?

There were two cases were registered about the excise policy case, one by the CBI and another of alleged money laundering by the ED.

The liquor scam in which the Delhi CM Kejriwal was arrested pertains to alleged 'corruption and money laundering' in the formulation and execution of the Delhi government's excise policy for 2021-2022.

The case came to light after the then Delhi Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar submitted a report to the  Lieutenant Governor (LG) Vinai Kumar Saxena in July 2022, highlighting alleged procedural lapses in the formulation of the liquor policy. The report also submitted to CBI said 'arbitrary and unilateral decisions' taken by former Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia as Excise Minister resulted in 'financial losses to the exchequer' worth over Rs 580 crore.

This report submitted to the crime branch led to Sisiodia's arrest and named him and 14 others including AAP communications in-charge Vijay Nair in the FIR.

Meanwhile, the ED alleged AAP leaders received kickbacks with Rs 100 crore in the policy, with Kejriwal's name being mentioned multiple times.