Delhi High Court Grants Kejriwal Liberty to Seek Bail in Excise Policy Case

The Delhi High Court has granted Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal the liberty to approach a trial court for bail in the CBI corruption case related to the alleged excise policy scam, citing a change in the case’s circumstances. The high court noted that when Kejriwal initially filed his bail plea, the charge sheet was not yet submitted to the trial court. Now that the CBI has filed the charge sheet, it would be beneficial for Kejriwal to seek bail from the trial court first.

Justice Neena Bansal Krishna emphasized that while district courts and the high court have concurrent jurisdiction, it is standard practice for a party to first approach the court of first instance. The court highlighted that due to the complexity and extensive material involved in the case, it is more appropriate for the trial court to comprehensively determine Kejriwal’s role in the alleged conspiracy before considering bail.

In a separate judgment, the high court dismissed Kejriwal’s plea challenging his CBI arrest in the case. The CBI prosecutor argued that with voluminous records and multiple co-accused, the trial court is better positioned to address the bail plea initially. Kejriwal, arrested by the CBI on June 26 and earlier by the ED on March 21 for a connected money laundering case, has faced multiple legal challenges, including a Supreme Court interim bail in the money laundering case.

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