The Delhi Rouse Avenue Court today extended the judicial custody of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal until July 25 in a case registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) against him in the excise policy case.
The Delhi Court order comes hours after the Supreme Court granted the Chief Minister an interim bail. Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the investigation agency on June 26 while remaining in judicial custody in the ED case against him.
Notably, the CBI has accused Arvind Kejriwal of being one of the main conspirators in the irregularities linked to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy. The agency had alleged in the Delhi court that former media in-charge of AAP Vijay Nair, a close associate of Kejriwal, was in touch with various liquor manufacturers and trades and demanded undue gratification since March 2021, for incorporation of provisions favourable to them in the excise policy.
The CBI in its previous chargesheet, had claimed that out of Rs 100 crore kickbacks received by AAP, an amount of Rs 44.45 crore was transferred to Goa during June 2021 to January 2022 through hawala channels, and was used for AAP’s assembly poll campaign in the coastal state.
Earlier on Friday, the apex court granted interim bail to Kejriwal in the money laundering case filed by ED against him. The court said that since the matter is concerned with the right to life and the issue of arrest has been referred to a larger bench, Arvind Kejriwal be released on interim bail.
The apex court framed three questions related to power, necessity of arrest under section 19 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act and policy of arrest by the ED. AAP leaders Atishi, Saurabh Bharadwaj and Sandeep Pathak termed the Supreme Court verdict as a victory of truth.
The top court bench had earlier granted interim bail to Kejriwal till June 1 to enable him to campaign for the Lok Sabha elections. CM Arvind Kejriwal had returned to jail after his bail period got over.