The Supreme Court is scheduled to make a ruling on Arvind Kejriwal’s appeal contesting his ED detention in relation to a money laundering case involving a purported spirits scam on Friday. Kejriwal will either stay in Tihar Jail or be granted temporary bail based on the outcome of the case. The Supreme Court granted the Delhi Chief Minister temporary bail because of the ongoing Lok Sabha Elections.
Kejriwal’s case against his arrest is being heard by a bench headed by Justice Sanjiv Khanna, who declared, “We will pronounce the interim order (on interim bail) on Friday.” On the same day, the primary issue of the arrest challenge will also be decided.”
Kejriwal was arrested on March 21 and is presently in judicial custody at Tihar. The bench, including Justice Dipankar Datta, reserved its verdict on interim bail for Kejriwal on May 7. Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi represented Kejriwal, while Additional Solicitor General S V Raju appeared for the ED during the hearings.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the probe agency, vehemently opposed granting any leniency to Kejriwal during the Lok Sabha polls, arguing that providing interim bail to the AAP leader would create a special class for politicians.
The court divided the hearing on Kejriwal’s petition into two parts: the main petition challenging his arrest by the ED and the request for interim bail amid the ongoing elections. While the court reserved its order on interim bail, a Delhi court extended Kejriwal’s judicial custody until May 20 in the money laundering case.
Earlier, the Delhi High Court upheld Kejriwal’s arrest on April 9, stating that it was lawful and that the ED had limited options after he repeatedly ignored summonses and refused to cooperate in the investigation. The case revolves around alleged corruption and money laundering related to the formulation and execution of the Delhi government’s now-defunct excise policy for 2021-22.