Supreme Court Grants Bail to Delhi CM Kejriwal in Excise Policy Case
On Friday, the Supreme Court granted bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the excise policy case. The court had reserved its verdict on September 5 after hearing arguments from Kejriwal’s counsel and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). During the proceedings, the CBI, represented by Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, objected to Kejriwal bypassing the trial court and approaching the Delhi High Court directly for bail before moving to the Supreme Court.
Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 21 as part of a money laundering investigation linked to alleged irregularities in the Delhi excise policy for 2021-22. The policy aimed to revitalize the city’s liquor business by replacing the sales-volume-based regime with a license fee for traders. However, it was scrapped after Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena called for a CBI probe into alleged irregularities. On June 26, while in ED custody, Kejriwal was also arrested by the CBI in connection with the case.
The excise policy case revolves around accusations that the Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) received kickbacks amounting to ₹100 crore to finalize the policy. It is further alleged that a significant portion of this money was used to fund the party’s campaign in the Goa elections.
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