Excise Case: HC Dismisses Kejriwal's Plea Challenging CBI Arrest; Asks To Approach Trial Court For Relief

The Delhi High Court rejected the plea of Arvind Kejriwal challenging his arrest by the CBI in the excise case, asking him to approach the Trial Court for relief. The HC had reserved its judgment for July 29. Kejriwal's defence argues that the arrest was baseless, while the CBI asserts that he was crucial to the alleged corruption.

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Monday dismissed the plea of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal challenging his arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the alleged excise policy scam case. The court asked Kejriwal to approach the trial court for his relief.

In the hearing, the High Court said it couldn't be said that Kejriwal's arrest by the CBI was without any justifiable reason. Justice Neena Bansal Krishna pronounced the hearing on Monday.

On July 17, the high court reserved its order on Kejriwal's plea challenging his arrest by the CBI in the corruption case stemming from the alleged excise policy scam. The court had reserved the order on the AAP leader's bail plea on July 29 after hearing arguments of the counsel for Kejriwal and CBI.

Challenging his arrest, Kejriwal's counsel had contended that it was an "insurance arrest" to ensure that he stays in prison. Calling his arrest a "sham", Kejriwal's lawyer had argued that the CBI did not want to arrest him and had no material to take him into custody, and the sequence of events made it clear that he was arrested to ensure that he remained in prison.

The counsel for the CBI had opposed both pleas of Kejriwal and said terming his arrest an "insurance arrest" was unjustified and added that he was the sutradhaar' of the excise scam and there was evidence to show his involvement in the offence.

Kejriwal was arrested by the CBI on June 26 from Tihar Jail, where he is still lodged in judicial custody in a connected money laundering case filed by the ED. The chief minister, who was arrested by the ED on March 21, was granted bail by the trial court in the money laundering case on June 20. However, the trial court's order was stayed by the high court.

On July 12, the Supreme Court granted interim bail to Kejriwal in the money laundering case. The excise policy was scrapped in 2022 after the Delhi lieutenant governor ordered a CBI probe into alleged irregularities and corruption involving the formulation and execution of the policy.

According to the CBI and the ED, irregularities were committed while modifying the excise policy and undue favours extended to licence holders. (With Agency Inputs)