The Supreme Court on May 17 reserved its verdict on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s petition challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the Delhi excise policy case.
A Bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta clarified that Mr. Kejriwal would be at liberty to apply for bail from the trial Court in the meantime. The central agency was also ordered to produce records to show what new evidence has emerged since the arrest of former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia that necessitated the arrest of the AAP supremo on March 21.
Also Read: Arvind Kejriwal asked for ₹100 crore as kickbacks, Enforcement Directorate tells Supreme Court
The top Court earlier granted interim bail to Mr. Kejriwal till June 1 to enable him to campaign in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls. In the last hearing, the ED apprised the Court that a complaint against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is in the pipeline and that there is direct evidence of its national convenor Mr. Kejriwal “demanding” ₹100 crore as kickbacks in the case.
Earlier on April 9, the Delhi High Court had upheld Mr. Kejriwal’s arrest by recording a prima facie finding that there was adequate material, including statements of approvers, involvement of middlemen and references that cash was handed over for expenditure in the 2022 Goa elections.
Also Read: ED says Kejriwal sees himself as a special person, accuses him of remarks ‘slapping the system’
In another notable development, the top Court has decided that on May 21, it will hear a plea by former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren for interim bail to campaign in the ongoing Lok Sabha election. Jharkhand is scheduled to go to the polls on May 20, May 25, and June 1.
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