Supreme Court Rejects Interim Bail for Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal in Liquor Policy Corruption Case
The Supreme Court today denied interim bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in connection with a corruption case related to the now-scrapped Delhi liquor policy. The court has requested a response from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) regarding Kejriwal’s bail plea, with the next hearing scheduled for August 23.
Senior Advocate Abhishek Singhvi, representing Kejriwal, argued before the bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, describing the situation as “strange.” He pointed out that Kejriwal had previously been granted interim bail in a Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) case on May 10 and in another CBI case by a lower court in July. Singhvi termed Kejriwal’s current imprisonment as an “insurance arrest,” arguing that the arrest, made 1 year and 10 months after the case was registered, was legally unsound and suggested malafide intentions.
Despite these arguments, the Supreme Court declined to provide interim relief, stating, “Don’t say interim bail, we will not give interim bail.”
On August 5, the Delhi High Court upheld Kejriwal’s arrest, finding no evidence of malice in the CBI’s actions. The court supported the agency’s claims that Kejriwal could potentially influence witnesses.
The Delhi Liquor Policy, introduced in November 2021, was retracted in September 2022 amid allegations of corruption. Following an order from Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, a CBI investigation was launched. The CBI and Enforcement Directorate have accused AAP leaders of committing irregularities and granting undue favors to license holders under the new policy.
Alongside Kejriwal, senior AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh were also arrested in connection with the liquor policy corruption case. Both are currently out on bail. The Aam Aadmi Party has dismissed the corruption allegations as politically motivated, accusing the ruling BJP of pursuing a vendetta.
