Setback to Kejriwal as Delhi High Court stays release in liquor policy corruption case
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In a significant development, the Delhi High Court has stayed the release order of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in a corruption case related to the Delhi liquor policy until the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) petition is heard. The ED challenged Kejriwal’s bail just hours before his anticipated release from Tihar Jail.
The ED urgently mentioned its petition challenging the trial court’s order before a bench comprising Justices Sudhir Kumar Jain and Ravinder Dudeja. The bench indicated that the case file would be presented to them within 10-15 minutes, after which they would hear the matter. The high court instructed that the trial court’s release order should not be executed until the hearing.
Kejriwal’s wife Sunita Kejriwal along with leaders from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had planned to visit Tihar Jail at 4 pm today to welcome the Delhi Chief Minister. However, their plans were halted by the high court’s directive.
On Thursday (June 20, 2024), a Delhi trial court had ordered Kejriwal’s release on a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh, imposing conditions that he must not interfere with the investigation or influence witnesses. The court accepted Kejriwal’s argument that the probe agency had not presented sufficient evidence since his arrest on March 21.
The bail decision followed numerous rejections by trial courts. Despite repeated calls from the ruling BJP for his resignation, Kejriwal has not stepped down as Chief Minister. In May, the Supreme Court had granted him interim bail for election campaigning, though he returned to prison three days before the results were declared.
The ED arrested Kejriwal on charges of money laundering related to the framing of the Delhi liquor policy for 2021-22. The policy was subsequently scrapped following concerns raised by the Lieutenant Governor. The ED alleges that funds received from liquor sellers were used to finance AAP’s campaign in Goa, implicating Kejriwal due to his role as the party’s convener.
