The Delhi High Court on Monday rejected Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s petition challenging his arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation in the liquor policy case, Live Law reported.
Justice Neena Bansal Krishna refused to grant bail to the Aam Aadmi Party leader but allowed him to move the trial court for bail.
“It cannot be said that the arrest was without any justiciable reason or is illegal,” said Krishna.
The Central Bureau of Investigation is looking into allegations of corruption against the Aam Aadmi Party leader in the case, while the Enforcement Directorate is investigating money-laundering allegations linked to the same matter.
On July 12, the Supreme Court granted Kejriwal interim bail in the case filed against him by the Enforcement Directorate. However, Kejriwal remained in jail as he had been arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation in the same case on June 25.
The High Court had reserved its order on Kejriwal’s petition against his arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation on July 17, while it reserved its order on his bail petition on July 29.
Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Kejriwal, had argued that the chief minister’s arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation was an “insurance arrest” since he was likely to get relief in the money-laundering case filed by the Enforcement Directorate.
The application submitted to the trial court by the Central Bureau of Investigation seeking Kejriwal’s arrest did not include the provisions under which he was eventually taken into custody, Singhvi said. He also contended that prior notice had not been given to the chief minister.
In response, the Central Bureau of Investigation, represented by Special Public Prosecutor DP Singh, said that the term “insurance arrest” was not justified.
Multiple petitions and applications had been filed in the court and there were no observations about violations by the central agency, Singh added. He alleged that Kejriwal was trying to derail the central agency’s investigation by placing the blame on others during questioning.
The Aam Aadmi Party chief was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on March 21. The Enforcement Directorate’s case is 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 modified Delhi’s now-scrapped liquor policy by increasing the commission for wholesalers from 5% to 12%. This allegedly facilitated the receipt of bribes from wholesalers with substantial market share and turnover.
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