New Delhi,21: The Enforcement Directorate has moved the Delhi high court challenging regular bail granted to chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in the excise policy case. The plea is likely to be mentioned by ED before a vacation bench led by justice Sudhir Kumar Jain.Arvind Kejriwal was arrested on March 21 by the agency in connection with a money laundering probe linked to the Delhi excise policy case. On Thursday, Delhi’s Rouse Avenue court granted him regular bail.
Arvind Kejriwal had come out of the jail on interim bail on May 10 to campaign for the Lok Sabha elections. He surrendered on June 2, as directed by the Supreme Court.
On Thursday, vacation judge Nyay Bindu granted bail to the Aam Aadmi Party chief on a bond of ₹1,00,000.
The Enforcement Directorate moved the high court after the local court refused to entertain its request to postpone the process of filing the bail bond for 48 hours.
In April, the Delhi high court had upheld his arrest. He later moved the Supreme Court against his arrest.
He applied for a regular bail in the local court after the Supreme Court’s office refused to entertain his pleas seeking an extension of his interim bail. The court said he was free to approach lower courts for bail.
Arvind Kejriwal and other AAP leaders are accused by the ED and CBI of accepting kickbacks for formulating the now-scrapped liquor policy in favour of a select group of businessmen and politicians. The ED has accused them of diverting a portion of the kickbacks towards their election campaign in Goa.
On Thursday, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) SV Raju, appearing for the Enforcement Directorate, said the kickbacks were funneled through hawala channels. He accused Kejriwal of being in touch with these hawala operators.
