The Delhi High Court on Monday dismissed Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's plea challenging his arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and seeking bail in the liquor policy scam case.

The order was pronounced by Justice Neena Bansal Krishna.

The court has allowed the Aam Aadmi Party chief to go to the special judge and to file a regular bail plea.

On July 17, the court had reserved its order on the plea challenging his arrest in the liquor policy case.

Challenging his arrest, Kejriwal’s counsel had contended that it was an "insurance arrest" to ensure that he stayed in prison.

Calling his arrest a "sham", Kejriwal’s lawyer had argued that the CBI did not want to arrest him and had no material to take him into custody, and the sequence of events made it clear that he was arrested to ensure that he remained in prison.

Earlier, the CBI counsel had opposed both pleas of Kejriwal and said terming his arrest an "insurance arrest" was unjustified and added that he was the ‘sutradhaar’ of the excise scam and there was evidence to show his involvement in the offence.

Kejriwal was arrested by the CBI on June 26 from Tihar Jail, where he is still lodged in judicial custody in a connected money laundering case filed by the Enforcement Directorate.

On July 12, the Supreme Court granted interim bail to Kejriwal in the money laundering case.

The excise policy was scrapped in 2022 after the Delhi lieutenant governor ordered a CBI probe into alleged irregularities and corruption involving the formulation and execution of the policy.

According to the CBI and the ED, irregularities were committed while modifying the excise policy and undue favours extended to licence holders.

Source: India Today