CBI arrests Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi excise policy case

New Delhi: The Central Bureau of  Investigation here on Wednesday arrested Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the alleged excise policy case. A Delhi court allowed the CBI to formally arrest the AAP leader while considering the agency's plea.

Special Judge Amitabh Rawat passed the order after Kejriwal was produced before Delhi's Rouse Avenue Courts from Tihar Central Jail. He will be examined by the CBI in the court.

Meanwhile, Kejriwal withdrew from the Supreme Court  his plea challenging the Delhi High Court order granting an interim stay on the operation of the trial court's bail order in a money laundering case linked to the alleged excise scam. A vacation bench of Justices Manoj Misra and SVN Bhatti, which allowed Kejriwal to withdraw his plea, was told by the AAP leader's counsel senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi that since the high court has passed a detailed order on June 25, he would like to file a substantial appeal.

Singhvi informed the bench that new developments were taking place every day and Kejriwal has now been arrested by the CBI.
"We would like to file a substantial appeal to bring on record all relevant details and challenge the June 25 order of the high court in which bail order was finally stayed," he said.
The bench recorded the submission and gave him the liberty to file the appeal.

Earlier on Wednesday, a Delhi court allowed the CBI to formally arrest Kejriwal in connection with the alleged excise scam. On Tuesday, the high court stayed the trial court order granting Kejriwal bail in the case and held that the lower court did not "appropriately appreciate" the material placed before it by the Enforcement Directorate. 

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 21, could have walked out of Tihar jail on Friday last had the high court not granted the interim stay relief to the federal anti-money laundering agency.

In its bail order, the trial court had held that prima facie, Kejriwal's guilt was yet to be established and that the ED had failed to furnish direct evidence linking him to the proceeds of crime in the money laundering case.

The excise policy was scrapped in 2022 after the Delhi lieutenant governor ordered a CBI probe into alleged irregularities and corruption involving its formulation and execution.

According to the ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), irregularities were committed while modifying the policy and undue favours were extended to the licence holders.