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Kejriwal was arrested on March 21 after the Delhi High Court denied him protection in a money laundering case related to Delhi's liquor excise policy for 2021-22. The case involved allegations of corruption and money laundering in the liquor excise policy's formulation and implementation, which was later revoked.
The Rouse Avenue Court, on Tuesday, extended the judicial custody of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal till August 27, 2024, concerning his involvement in the now-defunct liquor excise policy.
Special Judge Kaveri Baweja granted an extension as the previous judicial custody of Kejriwal had expired. Kejriwal also appeared in court via video conferencing. The court will be reviewing a supplementary chargesheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against Kejriwal on August 27.
Previously, Kejriwal had approached the Delhi High Court challenging his arrest by the CBI. However, the petition was dismissed by Justice Neena Bansal Krishna noting “The reasons for not proceeding immediately against the petitioner, after registration of the FIR is thus, well explained by the CBI and does not reek of malice”.
Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Kejriwal, contended that the arrest was merely a precautionary measure intended to prevent Kejriwal from being released from jail after securing bail in the PMLA case. He argued that there was no significant evidence to justify the arrest, and the CBI had no genuine intention of detaining Kejriwal.
On the other hand, SPP Singh, representing the State, maintained that the nine-hour interrogation was an essential aspect of the investigation, falling within the Investigating Agency's discretion. The CBI asserted that Kejriwal was a key figure involved in the scam.
On August 14, the Supreme Court's division bench comprising Justice Surya Kant and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan refused to grant interim bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who challenged the Delhi High Court's dismissal of his petition against his arrest by the CBI in the liquor policy scam case.
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