Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case related to the now-canceled Delhi Excise policy of 2021–2022. On June 20, a Delhi court granted bail to Kejriwal.
Following a lengthy hearing with Mr. Kejriwal and the ED, vacation judge Niyay Bindu of Rouse Avenue Court issued the order. In an evening session in open court on June 20, the judge set the bail. We’re waiting for the full court order.
Soon after the ruling was announced, Zoheb Hossain, the attorney for the ED, asked that the signature of the bail bond be postponed for 48 hours so that the appellate court may hear a challenge to the central agency.
The court dismissed the motion and declared that the bail bond would be presented to the duty judge on June 21.
The ED detained the chief minister of Delhi on March 21. Mr. Kejriwal was allegedly the “kingpin” of the Delhi Excise policy scandal, according to the agency. The Supreme Court released him on May 10th, allowing him to campaign for the Lok Sabha elections after he had been detained for several weeks. On June 2, he was back in jail after the supreme court granted him more reprieve.
Earlier this month, Mr. Kejriwal applied for two bail terms at the Rouse Avenue Court. The first plea, for a seven-day bail treatment, was turned down on June 5. On June 20, the second application—for ordinary bail—was approved.
The accusation of the Lieutenant-Governor of Delhi, which claimed several anomalies in the Delhi Excise policy-2021–22, served as the basis for the first FBI report against Mr. Kejriwal. The state later withdrew the report.
Following the CBI case, the ED brought a complaint under the Prevention Money Laundering Act, claiming that funds obtained under the excise policy were transferred through “hawala” methods and used to finance the Goa campaign of the AAP in advance of the 2022 Assembly elections.
AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, former deputy chief minister of Delhi Manish Sisodia, and BRS leader K Kavitha are among the many people the CBI and ED have arrested in this matter. Mr. Singh was given bail earlier this year, but Ms. Kavitha and Mr. Sisodia are still detained.
In opposition to the Delhi Chief Minister’s bail request, the Enforcement Department (ED) told the court that the accused had stayed in a seven-star hotel in Goa, with the bill paid for the kickback money. The ED further contended that although Mr. Kejriwal may not have been the offender, he is still in charge of the AAP’s operations, therefore if the AAP is found guilty of a crime, he is still accountable.
Senior Advocate Vikram Chaudhary, who represented Mr. Kejriwal, refuted the charges made by the ED, stating that the agency had based all of its conclusions on conjecture and that there was no evidence of a money trail.
Modi lost the shocking election in India, but democracy triumphed