Arvind Kejriwal moves Supreme Court against Delhi HC stay on bail

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has taken his legal battle to the Supreme Court, challenging the Delhi High Court's decision to stay his bail order in the excise policy case. Kejriwal's lawyers have urgently requested a hearing, which is slated for Monday.

Earlier, Kejriwal had secured bail from a Delhi court in the alleged excise policy case. However, the Delhi High Court intervened, putting a hold on his bail until further orders are issued on a plea filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which contests his bail.

"Till pronouncement, the operation of the impugned order shall remain stayed," stated the Delhi High Court vacation bench led by Justice Sudhir Kumar Jain, indicating that it would take 2-3 days to reach a decision on the ED's plea.

During the proceedings in the high court, Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, representing the ED, criticized the trial court's bail decision as 'lopsided' and 'one-sided'. Raju argued that the trial court had not properly considered the relevant documents before granting bail.

Earlier in the week, the trial court's vacation judge Nyay Bindu had granted interim bail to Kejriwal upon furnishing a bail bond of ₹one lakh. The court had denied the ED's request for a 48-hour postponement in the bond filing process.

Arvind Kejriwal, the convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), was arrested by the ED on March 21 after he missed nine summonses related to the agency's money laundering investigation into the now-defunct Delhi excise policy.

Kejriwal had previously been granted interim bail by the Supreme Court on May 10, considering the Lok Sabha polls, with instructions to surrender by June 2. He was also prohibited from visiting the Office of the Chief Minister and the Delhi Secretariat during this period.

The Delhi excise policy came under scrutiny in 2022 following allegations of irregularities and corruption in its formulation and execution, leading to its eventual cancellation after a directive from the Delhi Lieutenant Governor for a CBI probe.