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Kejriwal was detained by the CBI on the evening of 24 June, following the High Court's reversal of the Rouse Avenue Court vacation bench's decision to grant bail to the Chief Minister. Kejriwal had filed an appeal with the Supreme Court challenging the high court's ruling but withdrew the application within hours.
The Delhi High Court, on Monday, issued notice to Tihar jail authorities to submit a response to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s addressed plea, who was in judicial custody due to an alleged liquor policy scam, seeking permission for two additional virtual conferences with his legal team. The bench of Justice Neena Bansal Krishna requested a response from the Tihar jail authorities and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) within five days, scheduling the next hearing for July 15.
Senior Advocate Ramesh Gupta, representing Kejriwal, argued that additional meetings with lawyers would not cause any harm. When Special Counsel Zoheb Hossain, representing the ED, interrupted, Senior Advocate Gupta asserted that the matter was strictly between Kejriwal and the jail, leaving the central probe agency without standing to comment.
Senior Advocate Gupta emphasized that Kejriwal faced 35 pending cases, necessitating additional virtual meetings with his lawyers. Kejriwal had previously contested a trial court decision from July 1 that dismissed his request for two more virtual conferences with his legal team related to the money laundering case.
Justice Krishna recently issued a notice regarding Kejriwal's challenge against his CBI arrest and subsequent three-day police custody remand. Another notice was issued concerning his bail plea in the CBI case, with hearings for both matters scheduled for July 17.
In the last week of June, the Rouse Avenue Court had authorized the CBI to question Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal regarding the defunct liquor excise policy. He was scheduled to appear before Special Judge (PC Act) Amitabh Rawat.
The Rouse Avenue Court had criticized the ED for bias and failing to directly link Kejriwal to proceeds of crime in the excise policy case, which involved corruption and money laundering allegations related to Delhi's 2021-22 excise policy, which was subsequently scrapped.
However, the Delhi High Court overturned this decision that granted bail to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the defunct liquor excise policy case. Justice Sudhir Kumar Jain opined that the trial court's assertion of 'malafide intentions on the part of the ED' was incorrect.
Case Title: Arvind Kejriwal v. Dept of Delhi Prisons & Anr.
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