New Delhi [India], August 5 (ANI): The Delhi High Court on Monday dismissed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s plea challenging his arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) case concerning the Excise Policy matter. Delhi High Court stated that it cannot be said that the arrest of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal was without justifiable reason.
Regarding the bail application, the court has disposed of it, granting Kejriwal the option to approach the trial court for further relief. Earlier today, Arvind Kejriwal’s legal team mentioned the matter before the bench of Justices Neena Bansal Krishna, urging the court to expedite the decision on his petitions.
The same bench had reserved its order on Arvind Kejriwal’s regular bail plea in the CBI case related to the Excise Policy on July 29, 2024. Additionally, on July 17, 2024, the court reserved its order on Kejriwal’s plea challenging his arrest by the CBI in the same case. During the hearing, the Central Bureau of Investigation opposed the bail plea, referring to Kejriwal as the “sutradhar” of the case. During the arguments, CBI’s Special counsel DP Singh informed the Delhi High Court that as their investigation progressed, they discovered more evidence implicating Arvind Kejriwal.
The chargesheet had been filed naming six individuals, including Kejriwal, but five of them have not been arrested. The CBI informed the Delhi High Court that they had completed their investigation and filed a chargesheet within a month. They claimed that Arvind Kejriwal was the central figure or “sutradhar” in the excise policy scam.
The CBI counsel stated that Arvind Kejriwal, as the head of the cabinet, signed the excise policy, circulated it to his
colleagues, and received their signatures within a single day. This occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The CBI counsel further submitted that C. Aravind, an IAS officer under Manish Sisodia, testified that Vijay Nair brought a copy of the excise policy to be entered into the computer, and Arvind Kejriwal was present at that time. This, according to the CBI,
indicates Kejriwal’s direct involvement in the matter. CBI counsel DP Singh stated that the investigation agency has traced Rs 44 crores of money related to the case, which was sent to Coa. Arvind Kejriwal instructed his candidates not to worry about the funds and to focus on contesting the elections, said Advocate DP Singh