Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday approached the Supreme Court, challenging the Delhi High Court's refusal to dismiss his arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the alleged corruption case connected to the now-scrapped liquor policy.
Senior advocates Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Vikram Chaudhary, representing Kejriwal, urged the apex court to list the matter for an urgent hearing.
On August 5, the Delhi High Court rejected Kejriwal's plea challenging his arrest by the central probe agency in the liquor policy scam case. The verdict was pronounced by Justice Neena Bansal Krishna.
Earlier in July, the High Court had reserved its order on the petition challenging his arrest.
The probe agency had opposed AAP Chief's bail plea in the High Court, claiming that he was the "mastermind" of the liquor scam and could possibly influence the investigation if released.
“The investigation could not have been concluded without his arrest. Within a month, we filed the charge sheet,” said CBI’s counsel advocate, DP Singh.
Simultaneously, Kejriwal's lawyer stated that it was an "insurance arrest" to make sure that the Chief Minister stayed in jail.
Calling the arrest a "sham," Kejriwal's counsel argued that the probe agency did not want to arrest him and had no evidence to take him into custody, and the way the arrest was made, makes it clear that the Chief Minister was arrested to ensure that he remains locked up in jail.
Kejriwal was arrested by the CBI on June 26 while already in judicial custody at Tihar Jail in connection with a money laundering case filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
On July 12, the Supreme Court granted him interim bail in the ED's case.
The case revolves around the Delhi liquor policy, which was scrapped in 2022 following a directive from the Delhi lieutenant governor to the CBI to investigate allegations of irregularities and corruption. Both the CBI and the ED allege that the policy was manipulated, resulting in undue advantages being granted to certain licence holders.
Source: India Today