The Delhi High Court is scheduled to deliver its verdict on Tuesday regarding a petition filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) seeking to halt a lower court’s order that granted bail to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in a money laundering case associated with the recently revoked liquor policy. The High Court is expected to announce its decision at 2:30 pm today.
On June 21, a vacation bench of Justice Sudhir Kumar Jain reserved the order after the ED contested the lower court’s decision to grant bail to Kejriwal. The High Court subsequently suspended Kejriwal's bail upon the agency’s request and set the date for the final pronouncement as June 25.
The ED has argued that the lower court’s decision to grant bail was "perverse", "one-sided", and "wrong-sided", asserting that the findings were based on irrelevant information. In a submission filed on Monday, the ED criticized the bail order for not considering substantial evidence indicating Kejriwal's deep involvement in the liquor policy case.
In his 20-page written response, Kejriwal described the ED’s accusations as "absolutely absurd", "most uncalled for", and "unjustified and unwarranted insinuations". He claimed the agency did not have adequate opportunity to present its case and alleged a "false case" had been brought against him due to his opposition to the NDA government at the Centre. He insisted that bail orders should not be overturned based on the prosecution’s "perception" and "imagination".
Kejriwal emphasized his role as a "responsible citizen" and Chief Minister, asserting he had no intention of violating bail conditions. On June 20, the lower court granted Kejriwal bail, who had been arrested by the ED on March 21, requiring a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh and imposing conditions to ensure he would not obstruct the investigation or influence witnesses. Kejriwal could have been released from Tihar Jail had the ED not appealed the decision in the Delhi High Court.
Earlier on Monday, the Supreme Court declined to issue an immediate order to reverse the Delhi High Court’s suspension of Kejriwal’s bail. The Supreme Court noted the High Court’s approach as "a bit unusual" but advised the Chief Minister to await the High Court’s ruling.
Kejriwal had petitioned the Supreme Court against the High Court’s decision to pause his bail granted by the lower court the previous week. In response, he filed a reply in the Delhi High Court, arguing that the ED lacked substantial proof and alleging a conspiracy against him. According to sources within AAP, Kejriwal claimed that witnesses were coerced into making statements against him as part of this conspiracy.
About the Liquor Policy Case:
The contentious liquor policy was annulled in 2022 following an order by Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, who called for a CBI investigation into alleged irregularities and corruption in the policy’s creation and implementation. The CBI and ED allege that irregularities were introduced when modifying the excise policy, with undue benefits granted to license holders. The ED further alleged that approximately Rs 45 crore from the proceeds of the crime was funnelled into AAP’s 2022 Goa assembly election campaign, thereby implicating Kejriwal in money laundering activities.
