NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Friday sought the response of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to the bail plea of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the alleged excise policy scam.
Justice Neena Bansal Krishna scheduled the hearing for July 17. Senior Advocates Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Vikram Chaudhari, and N Hariharan represented Kejriwal, while Special Counsel DP Singh appeared for the CBI.
During the hearing, Singh pointed out that the bail plea and the challenge to the arrest raised similar issues, suggesting that Kejriwal should have initially sought bail from the trial court. Singhvi argued that the case against Kejriwal lacks any serious allegations and emphasized that he is neither a proclaimed offender nor a terrorist. Chaudhari added that since the trial court had previously noted no violation of Section 41A of CrPC during Kejriwal's remand, seeking bail from the sessions court would be redundant.
On June 26, the CBI arrested Kejriwal inside the Rouse Avenue Court premises, following permission granted by a special judge. The move came on the day the Supreme Court was scheduled to hear Kejriwal’s plea challenging a Delhi High Court order that had stayed the bail granted to him by a lower court. Following his arrest by the CBI, Kejriwal’s lawyer withdrew the plea, which the Supreme Court allowed.