On Monday, Arvind Kejriwal, the jailed Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convenor, approached the Supreme Court challenging a Delhi High Court decision that had denied his plea to annul his arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the Delhi Excise Policy case.
The petition was filed through advocate Vivek Jain, as reported by Bar and Bench.
The Delhi High Court had rejected Kejriwal’s request to quash his arrest on August 5, 2024. This appeal to the Supreme Court came two days after the Supreme Court granted bail to former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in the same excise policy cases investigated by both the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
Kejriwal was arrested by the CBI on June 26 while already in judicial custody over a money laundering case investigated by the ED. Although he received interim bail from the Supreme Court in the money laundering case, he remained in custody pending bail in the CBI case.
Kejriwal had submitted two petitions to the High Court: one for bail and another challenging his CBI arrest. The High Court denied his request to quash the arrest on August 5, with Justice Neena Bansal Krishna finding sufficient grounds for the arrest. Kejriwal had sought bail directly from the High Court, which upheld the arrest but advised him to seek regular bail from the trial court first.
Recently, the Supreme Court granted bail to AAP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in connection with the same case. The Court’s decision was influenced by the prolonged delay in Sisodia’s trial, which was deemed to violate his constitutional right to a speedy trial under Article 21, ensuring the Protection of Life and Personal Liberty.
The Supreme Court also observed that high and trial courts often err on the side of caution by routinely denying bail, deviating from the usual practice of granting it.
