In a dramatic turn of events, the Delhi High Court has temporarily suspended Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s bail order in a corruption case linked to the Delhi Liquor Policy, mere hours before he was scheduled for release from Tihar Jail. This decision followed a petition filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) challenging Arvind Kejriwal’s bail.
The ED urgently presented its petition before a bench comprising Justices Sudhir Kumar Jain and Ravinder Dudeja, arguing against the trial court’s decision to grant bail. The high court stated that the trial court’s order would be put on hold until it could hear the ED’s petition.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader had initially secured bail on Thursday with a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh and certain conditions. This development came as a relief after his arrest on March 21. Arvind Kejriwal had also received interim bail from the Supreme Court in May to campaign for the Lok Sabha elections, after which he returned to jail on June 2.
Amidst these legal battles, Arvind Kejriwal’s wife, Sunita Kejriwal, along with other AAP leaders, had planned to welcome him outside Tihar Jail at 4 pm today.
The Delhi court had approved Arvind Kejriwal’s release on Thursday, emphasizing that he should not interfere with the investigation or influence witnesses. The court accepted the argument by Arvind Kejriwal that the ED had not provided sufficient evidence since his arrest.
Despite repeated bail denials in earlier trial court proceedings, Arvind Kejriwal has maintained his position as Delhi’s Chief Minister, even as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has called for his resignation.
The ED’s allegations against Arvind Kejriwal include money laundering linked to the 2021-22 Delhi liquor policy, which was later withdrawn following objections from the Lieutenant Governor. The ED claims that funds obtained from liquor vendors were used to support AAP’s campaign in Goa, with Arvind Kejriwal as the party’s convener.
