Breaking | Delhi Court Remands Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal To 3 Days CBI Custody In Liquor Policy Case

A Delhi Court on Wednesday remanded Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to three days Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) custody in relation to the corruption case connected to the alleged liquor policy scam.

Vacation Judge Amitabh Rawat of Rouse Avenue Courts passed the order after CBI sought five days of custody remand for Kejriwal, who was produced in court today. 

Yesterday, the probe agency examined the Chief Minister in Tihar jail where he is lodged in judicial custody in relation to the money laundering case being probed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

Kejriwal's statement was recorded yesterday. This was hours after the Delhi High Court stayed the bail granted to the Chief Minister in the PMLA case.

After court's permission, CBI today examined Kejriwal in court and then formally arrested him in the matter.

During the hearing today, Senior Advocate Vikram Chaudhari appearing for Kejriwal contended that the CBI has acted in a biased manner. Submitting that the investigation of the case has been pending since August 2022, Chaudhari stated that Kejriwal was called as a witness once to which he cooperated and never as an accused. He said that without any notice, the CBI made him an accused in the case.

“It is the grossest abuse of process of law. They were waiting till I get bail in PMLA case,” he said.

CBI's counsel, Advocate DP Singh, took the court through the facts of the case and Kejriwal's alleged involvement. He stated that at the peak of COVID-19, the liquor policy was formed with the influence of South Group.

CBI claimed that public comments were solicited but manipulated by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Singh said: “I am saying they asked for public comments. We have evidence that it was AAP which was trying to get those comments made from a particular place. That was also manipulated.”

The agency further alleged that that the South Group's report was ultimately adopted as the government policy. Singh contended that Kejriwal's custody was required as he was placing the onus on Manish Sisodia and needs to be confronted.

Importantly, Kejriwal himself addressed the court later and denied CBI's claim.

Chaudhari submitted that the Court has to see if there was necessity to arrest coupled with the necessity to remand Kejriwal to CBI custody.

He contended that that the facts mentioned in CBI's remand application did not specify any details. He said that CBI only arrested Kejriwal after he got the bail in money laundering case and that the timing shows that the arrest is illegal.

Yesterday, Justice Sudhir Kumar Jain of Delhi High Court stayed Kejriwal's bail order passed on June 20 and allowed ED's plea to stay the same.

The court said that the Vacation Judge passed the bail order without going through ED's entire material which reflects “perversity” in it.

While reserving judgment in the stay application, the High Court ordered that the impugned order shall remain stayed till the pronouncement of the order.

Kejriwal then moved the Supreme Court challenging the interim stay granted by the High Court. The matter is slated to be heard today by the Top Court.

Kejriwal's bail order in the money laundering case was passed by Vacation Judge Niyay Bindu of Rouse Avenue Courts contained scathing observations against the ED. The judge went to the extent of drawing an inference that the ED was acting with bias against Kejriwal.

The order further held that the ED had not shown any direct evidence regarding the proceeds of the crime.

Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 21. In May, he was granted interim bail by the Supreme Court till June 01 in view of general elections. He surrendered on June 2.