Excise policy case: Arvind Kejriwal moves Delhi HC seeking bail in CBI corruption case

On Tuesday, the Delhi High Court had issued notice on Kejriwal’s plea challenging his arrest by the central agency and a June 26 trial court order remanding him to three-day CBI custody. The high court had asked the CBI to file its response and listed the matter on July 17.

On June 25, Kejriwal was questioned by the CBI in Tihar jail, where he was in judicial custody in connection with the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED’s) money laundering case related to the excise policy.

On June 26, the CBI placed Kejriwal under “formal” arrest in the corruption case and produced him before the Rouse Avenue court of Special Judge Amitabh Rawat. The agency sought his custody for five days to confront him with the evidence in the conspiracy case linked to excise policy. Sending Kejriwal to three-day CBI custody, judge Rawat said his arrest was “not illegal” and that the agency should not be “overzealous”.

Thereafter, on June 29, the trial court sent Kejriwal to judicial custody until July 12 as his three-day custody ended.

The ED arrested Kejriwal on March 21 in a money laundering case linked to the excise policy. On June 25, the Delhi High Court stayed a trial court order granting him bail in the ED case. The next day, Kejriwal withdrew his plea in the Supreme Court against the high court’s decision to reserve its verdict on the ED’s plea to stay the trial court bail order.