Excise policy case: SC grants bail to Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal

New Delhi: The Supreme Court granted bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday for the excise policy scam, paving the way for his release almost six months after his arrest.

As per the cause list uploaded on the apex court website on September 13, a bench headed by Justice Surya Kant pronounced the verdict. The bench, also comprising Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, had reserved its verdict on the pleas on September 5.

Kejriwal filed two separate petitions challenging the denial of bail and against his arrest by the CBI in the corruption case filed by the central agency. The AAP chief was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on June 26.

He has challenged in the apex court the Delhi High Court's August 5 order which upheld his arrest in the corruption case. The high court had noted that the loop of evidence against Kejriwal got closed after collection of relevant evidence following his arrest by the CBI and it cannot be said that it was without any justifiable reason or illegal. The high court had also granted him liberty to approach a trial court with his plea seeking bail in the case.

The matter relates to alleged corruption in the formulation and execution of the Delhi government's excise policy for 2021-22, which has now been scrapped. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has also lodged a separate money laundering case linked to the alleged excise policy 'scam'. According to the CBI and the ED, irregularities were committed while modifying the excise policy and undue favours extended to licence holders.

On July 12, the apex court had granted interim bail to Kejriwal in the money laundering case.The top court had referred to a larger bench, preferably of five judges, for in-depth consideration of three questions on the aspect of "need and necessity of arrest" under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).  

The ED had on March 21 arrested Kejriwal in connection with the money laundering case.During the arguments on September 5 on Kejriwal's plea in the corruption case, the chief minister had vehemently opposed in the apex court the CBI's contentions that he should have approached the trial court first for bail in the corruption case.

Questioning the maintainability of Kejriwal's pleas, Additional Solicitor General S V Raju, appearing for the CBI, had submitted that even in the money laundering case in which he had challenged his arrest by the ED, he was sent back by the apex court to the trial court. 
(With PTI Inputs)