The Supreme Court on Monday asked Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal why a bail application challenging his arrest was not filed by him so far in the excise policy case.

Kejriwal was arrested on March 21 by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case linked to the now-scrapped Delhi liquor policy. He has been lodged in Tihar Jail since April 1 and will remain in judicial custody till May 7.

"What was the new material? Or has anything been suddenly recovered which connects him with the crime? A person does not automatically become an accused merely because he has been summoned," he added.

He argued, "Initially, all the people who later implicated him (Kejriwal) had not named him. This arrest solely relies on subsequent, contradictory and highly belated statements of co-accused who have now turned approvers, like Raghav Magunda Reddy, Srinivasalu Reddy, Sarath Reddy and Butchi Babu."

"The statements of all these approvers are based on hearsay and they have not even met Kejriwal even once. These belated statements were made on inducement of bail and exoneration from the case," he added.

He then said, "This is not how you treat a Chief Minister. Since September, no action had been taken. But suddenly they arrested him. He is not a hardened criminal or terrorist who will catch a flight and run away."

Singhvi's arguments led the bench to again question why no bail plea was never applied.

The hearing remained inconclusive and will continue on Tuesday.

Source: India Today