Delhi Breaking News Live: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has challenged CM Arvind Kejriwal’s bail in the excise policy case, prompting the Delhi High Court to place an interim stay on the trial court’s order granting him bail. The HC is expected to announce its verdict by June 25, keeping the Delhi CM in judicial custody until then. The trial court had granted bail to Kejriwal on Thursday (June 20), but the ED quickly approached the High Court to contest this decision.
Kejriwal was arrested by the ED three months ago in connection with a money laundering case linked to the Delhi excise policy scam, which is also under investigation by the CBI. The AAP leader has been in Tihar Jail since his arrest on March 21, although he was briefly out on interim bail last month for Lok Sabha election campaigning before surrendering again on June 2.
The ED has accused Kejriwal of being directly involved in drafting the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy, which allegedly favored the ‘South Group’ in exchange for Rs 100 crore paid to AAP leaders. This policy reportedly gave the group significant control over wholesale businesses and multiple retail zones.
Live Updates
18:38 21 Jun 2024 What ED said about the judge who granted bail to Kejriwal ‘shameful’: AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj criticized the ED’s remarks about the trial court judge during High Court proceedings, calling them “shameful.” He stated that the ED has not provided substantial evidence to the courts and reiterated AAP’s stance that the case against Kejriwal lacks merit.
17:20 21 Jun 2024 HC Verdict Expected by Tuesday (June 25) The High Court noted that it would announce its verdict by June 25 after reviewing the necessary documents. Both the petitioner and respondent can file submissions by Monday.
16:44 21 Jun 2024 ‘Evidence of Sterling Quality Needed,’ Says Senior Adv Chaudhari for Kejriwal Senior Advocate Vikram Chaudhari argued that the ED needs substantial evidence to charge a person holding a constitutional position like Kejriwal. He emphasized that the charges against Kejriwal lack the required gravity.
16:38 21 Jun 2024 Light Rains Bring Relief Amidst Delhi Heatwave Several areas in Delhi received light rain, providing some respite from the intense heatwave.
16:24 21 Jun 2024 Kejriwal’s Counsel Concludes Arguments in HC Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi concluded his arguments, suggesting that the HC’s stay on the bail order could be reversible and questioning the ED’s evidence against Kejriwal.
16:18 21 Jun 2024 ‘Not a Rupee Traced to Kejriwal,’ Says Singhvi Singhvi argued that there is no direct financial link between Kejriwal and the alleged crimes, challenging the validity of the ED’s accusations.
16:13 21 Jun 2024 ED’s Case Lacks Substance, Claims Singhvi Singhvi claimed that the ED’s case against Kejriwal is weak and that differing viewpoints cannot be labeled as ‘perversity.’
16:08 21 Jun 2024 HC Focusing on Legality of Arrest, Not Bail, Says Singhvi Singhvi emphasized that the HC is examining the legality of Kejriwal’s arrest rather than the bail itself, which the ED has misinterpreted.
16:03 21 Jun 2024 ED’s Approach ‘Deplorable,’ Says Singhvi Singhvi criticized the ED’s handling of the bail hearing, suggesting that it was unnecessarily prolonged and biased.
15:25 21 Jun 2024 Kejriwal’s Counsel Singhvi Begins Arguments Singhvi commenced his arguments against the ED’s plea to cancel Kejriwal’s bail, asserting the trial court’s decision was justified.
15:20 21 Jun 2024 ED Cannot Challenge Credibility of Witness at Bail Stage, Argues Raju ASG SV Raju argued that the trial court should not have questioned the credibility of the ED’s witnesses at this stage.
15:17 21 Jun 2024 AAP Named as Accused in Excise Policy Case Due to Goa Elections, Says ED Counsel ED counsel SV Raju claimed that AAP was implicated for using illegal funds in the Goa elections, thereby implicating Kejriwal.
15:14 21 Jun 2024 ED Showed Evidence of Misused Funds in Goa Elections, Claims Raju Raju stated that the ED had provided evidence of Rs 45 crore being misused in the Goa elections, which the trial court ignored.
14:58 21 Jun 2024 SC Did Not Clear Kejriwal While Granting Interim Bail, Says ED Counsel Raju emphasized that the Supreme Court had not exonerated Kejriwal, which the lower court overlooked in its bail decision.
14:54 21 Jun 2024 Case for Bail Cancellation is Strong, Argues ED Counsel Raju argued that the case against Kejriwal warranted bail cancellation due to insufficient evidence supporting his innocence.
14:50 21 Jun 2024 ED Highlighted Key Witness Statement, Argues Raju Raju noted that key statements, such as those from Magunta Srinivasan Reddy, were presented to show direct involvement of Kejriwal, which the trial court dismissed.
14:01 21 Jun 2024 HC to Resume Proceedings After Lunch Break The High Court will continue the hearing post-lunch break.
13:53 21 Jun 2024 HC to Review ED’s Appeal Against Bail Order ASG SV Raju continued arguments, criticizing the trial court’s decision and asserting that ED had provided substantial evidence against Kejriwal.
13:47 21 Jun 2024 ED Presented Significant Evidence Against Kejriwal, Argues Raju Raju argued that the trial court ignored critical evidence presented by the ED, including material gathered since early 2023.
13:44 21 Jun 2024 ED Asserts Trial Court Did Not Consider Key Points, Says Raju Raju emphasized that the trial court overlooked significant findings upheld by the HC regarding Kejriwal’s arrest.
13:39 21 Jun 2024 ED Challenges Trial Court Findings, Says Raju Raju challenged the trial court’s findings, asserting that the ED’s complaint was based on legitimate evidence.
13:37 21 Jun 2024 Haryana Government Has Increased Water Cut, Says Atishi Delhi Water Minister Atishi accused Haryana of reducing Delhi’s water supply amidst ongoing shortages.
13:34 21 Jun 2024 ED Argues Trial Court Order Perversity, Says Raju Raju criticized the trial court’s order as perverse for dismissing ED’s evidence without proper consideration.
13:27 21 Jun 2024 Delhi HC Ensures Equal Rights to Argue, No Time Limit on Arguments The HC assured equal rights for both parties to present their cases without time restrictions.
13:18 21 Jun 2024 Senior Advocate Highlights Remarks Against Trial Court Judge in Petition Advocate Vikram Chaudhari pointed out derogatory remarks made against the trial court judge in the ED’s petition.
13:01 21 Jun 2024 Delhi High Court Reviews ED’s Appeal Against Kejriwal’s Bail The HC has taken up the ED’s plea against the bail granted to CM Kejriwal.
12:59 21 Jun 2024 AAP Accuses Haryana Government of Blocking Delhi’s Water Supply AAP leader Sanjay Singh accused Haryana of withholding water supplies, exacerbating Delhi’s water crisis.
12:57 21 Jun 2024 AAP MP Sanjay Singh Criticizes BJP Government Over Water Crisis Sanjay Singh blamed the BJP for Delhi’s water woes and supported Atishi’s ‘water satyagraha.’
12:53 21 Jun 2024 Sunita Kejriwal Condemns Treatment of CM Kejriwal Sunita Kejriwal criticized the authorities for treating the Delhi CM harshly, likening his treatment to that of a terrorist.
12:51 21 Jun 2024 CM Kejriwal’s Immediate Agenda Post-Release Upon release, Kejriwal aims to address key issues including women’s aid scheme implementation and pending mayoral elections.
