Delhi court issues notice to ED on CM Arvind Kejriwal’s regular bail plea

In the first application, the Delhi CM has sought regular bail in the case, and in the second, he has sought interim bail for seven days on medical grounds

A Delhi court on Thursday sought response from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on a pair of bail applications moved by Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in the money laundering case related to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy 2021-22.

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal with Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann in Patiala on Thursday. (ANI)

In the first application, the Delhi CM has sought regular bail in the case, and in the second, he has sought interim bail for seven days on medical grounds.

Earlier this week, Kejriwal had moved the Supreme Court seeking a seven-day extension of his interim bail that was granted by the top court on May 10 for campaigning in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. However, the Supreme Court registry declined to list this plea, citing earlier court orders that limited Kejriwal’s temporary bail till June 1, and gave him the option to seek regular bail from the trial court.

In his interim bail application, Kejriwal said that he was suffering from an aggressive form of diabetes. He added that during the time he was in judicial custody between April 1 and May 10, he suffered a lot of health complications which are “partly attributable” to the jail authorities. He also said that he lost 6-7 kg weight during this period.

Read Here: No urgent SC hearing for Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s bail extension

“During the period of custody, the applicant [Kejriwal] lost around 6-7 kg weight which he has not been able to regain even after his release on interim bail and renewing his earlier lifestyle to the extent possible. Additionally, the applicant has also started experiencing periodic episodes of giddiness, palpitation and overwhelming lethargy,” he said in the application.

Citing recent test reports, Kejriwal in his interim bail plea said that he has developed an unusually high blood glucose level and kidney related complications.

He said that during the 21 days of interim bail granted to him by the Supreme Court, he had a health check-up done at his home and a senior physician from Max Hospital on May 25 prescribed a host of full body check-ups to be conducted, which are to be done in a particular sequence and require 5-7 days.

He said that he has abided by the conditions that were imposed on him by the Supreme Court, and that there is no risk of him fleeing from the process of law.

Special judge Kaveri Baweja issued notice to Enforcement Directorate, and listed the matter for hearing arguments on the interim bail plea on June 1. Kejriwal’s regular bail plea, meanwhile, was listed for hearing on June 7.

Read Here: Why was Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal arrested by ED? What's liquor scam?

This is the first time Kejriwal has moved a regular bail application before the court since his arrest. He had earlier moved an application challenging his arrest and subsequent remand which had been dismissed by both the trial court as well as Delhi high court. He had also moved to the Supreme Court for the same relief which reserved its order.

The 55-years-old AAP convener was arrested on March 21 by ED, hours after the Delhi high court denied his request for interim protection from arrest — a startling turn of events that left the Capital’s politics in turmoil and pushed to new heights the ongoing conflict between the Union government and the AAP.

Kejriwal is the third AAP leader to be arrested in the excise case after Delhi’s former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and parliamentarian Sanjay Singh.

ED has alleged that Kejriwal was part of a conspiracy in which ₹100 crore bribe was paid to the AAP by the so-called “South group” who benefitted from changes made to the 2021-22 policy.

The Delhi government’s 2021-22 excise policy aimed to revitalise the city’s flagging liquor business. It aimed to replace a sales volume based regime with a license fee one for traders, and promised swankier stores, free of the infamous metal grilles, ultimately giving customers a better buying experience. The policy also introduced discounts and offers on the purchase of liquor, a first for Delhi.

The plan, however, ended abruptly, with Delhi’s lieutenant governor Vinai Kumar Saxena recommending a probe into alleged irregularities in the regime. This ultimately resulted in the policy being scrapped prematurely and being replaced by the 2020-21 regime, with AAP alleging that Saxena’s predecessor sabotaged the move with a few last minute changes that resulted in lower than expected revenues.