Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal alleged in a bail petition before the High Court on Wednesday that the Central Bureau of Investigation was continuously “haranguing and harassing” him under the garb of its investigation in the liquor policy case, India Today reported.
The central agency arrested the Aam Aadmi Party chief on June 26 in the liquor policy case. The Enforcement Directorate had arrested him on March 21 in a money-laundering case related to the same matter.
On Wednesday, Kejriwal filed a petition for bail in his arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation, calling it “illegal, unconstitutional and unsustainable”.
The chief minister claimed that the harassment by the central agency was a matter of “grave dismay and concern”, according to India Today. He alleged that the remand orders were “patently routine” and led to the proceedings being vitiated.
“The investigations have already been completed and the materials which form the basis of the arrest have already been gathered,” he said in the petition.
On Wednesday, advocate Rajat Bhardwaj mentioned Kejriwal’s petition for bail before a bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Manmohan, Bar and Bench reported. Bhardwaj urged the court to take up the matter on Thursday.
The bench, however, said that it would hear the case on Friday, Bar and Bench reported.
On Monday, Kejriwal had filed another petition in the High Court challenging his arrest and remand by the Central Bureau of Investigation. This came after vacation judge Sunena Sharma of the Rouse Avenue Courts on Saturday sent the chief minister to judicial custody till July 12.
The Central Bureau of Investigation had told the court that Kejriwal was an influential political leader who could tamper with evidence and influence witnesses if he did not remain in custody. The case is slated to be heard on July 17.
On June 20, Kejriwal was granted bail in his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate. The Delhi High Court, however, issued an interim stay on the order the next day as it allowed an urgent hearing of a petition by the central agency.
On June 25, the High Court stayed the bail in its final order and said that the trial court “did not properly appreciate the material on record and the averments of ED [Enforcement Directorate]”.
The Enforcement Directorate is investigating allegations of money laundering in the liquor policy case based on a first information report filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation.
The two central agencies have alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party government had modified Delhi’s liquor policy by increasing the commission for wholesalers from 5% to 12%. This allegedly facilitated the receipt of bribes from wholesalers who had a substantial market share and turnover.
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