Excise policy case: Kejriwal moves SC against HC’s interim stay on bail order

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has moved the Supreme Court against the Delhi High Court’s interim stay on a trial court’s order granting him bail in a money-laundering case linked to the alleged excise policy scam.

The high court on Friday (June 21) paused his release after the trial court granted him bail on June 20. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 21, could have walked out of Tihar Jail on Friday had the high court not stayed the order.

Order reserved

“Till the pronouncement of this order, the operation of the impugned order shall remain stayed,” a Vacation Bench of the high court said and asked the parties to file written submissions by June 24.

The high court said it was reserving the order for two-three days as it wanted to go through the entire case records.

It also issued a notice to Kejriwal seeking his response to the ED’s plea challenging the trial court’s order by which he was granted bail. The court has listed the plea for hearing on July 10.

Why trial court granted bail

In its bail order, the trial court held that prima facie, Kejriwal’s guilt was yet to be established and the ED had failed to furnish direct evidence linking him to the proceeds of crime in the money-laundering case.

The excise policy was scrapped in 2022 after the Delhi lieutenant governor ordered a CBI probe into alleged irregularities and corruption involving its formulation and execution.

According to the ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), irregularities were committed while modifying the policy and undue favours extended to the licence holders.

(With agency inputs)