New Delhi: The Delhi High Court reserved its verdict in the plea filed by Delhi's jailed Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal challenging his arrest and remand by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the excise policy case. The court also reserved its order on Kejriwal’s plea seeking interim bail.
Justice Neena Bansal Krishna, who heard the matter on a holiday on account of Muharram, reserved the order on Kejriwal’s petitions challenging his arrest by the CBI in the excise policy case and seeking interim bail even as she listed his regular bail plea for further arguments on July 29.
Special public prosecutor DP Singh, appearing for CBI, said in court that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convenor cannot use the trial court's June 20 order granting him bail in the money laundering case. He added that the Delhi high court has stayed the same by way of a 30-page “reasoned” order.
The CBI lawyer said that the probe agency has the liberty to arrest an individual even on “mere suspicion” and the CBI at the time of arresting the CM had “probable reasons”. He said that the probe agency has the liberty to arrest an individual even on “mere suspicion” and the CBI at the time of arresting the CM had “probable reasons”.
Asserting that he was “not a terrorist”, but the Chief Minister of Delhi, Kejriwal assailed his arrest by the CBI and sought his release on bail, saying his arrest was not as per the law. His counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi called the CBI's stand a ‘delaying tactic’, arguing that the agency had not given any reason as to why the court should not hear the CM's bail plea.
Arrested on March 21 by the Enforcement Directorate, Kejriwal was released on a 21-day interim bail by the top court on May 10 to enable him to campaign in the Lok Sabha poll. He surrendered on June 2. On June 26, he was arrested by the CBI in a corruption case linked to the excise policy scam.
