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Delhi High Court Stays Arvind Kejriwal's Bail Pending Further Review
The Delhi High Court on Friday directed a stay on the trial court's decision of granting bail to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, in connection with a money laundering case linked to an alleged liquor policy scam. The High Court, through a vacation bench led by Justice Sudhir Kumar Jain, announced that it would reserve its decision for two to three days. Until the court issues its final order, the trial court's bail order will not be enforced.
The High Court has also issued a notice to Kejriwal, asking him to respond to a plea from the Enforcement Directorate challenging the trial court's decision that granted him bail. The court emphasized that it needs time to thoroughly review all pertinent records before making a decision.
V Raju, representing the probe agency, stated that Kejriwal's bail has been temporarily halted pending the issuance of a final order in the next three to four days. Raju also mentioned that proceedings regarding the cancellation of bail will be scheduled subsequently, with a notice already issued in that regard. Meanwhile, Sanjeev Nasiar, the AAP Legal Cell State President, said that this is the probe agency's intention to prevent the implementation of the granted relief.
The trial court had previously granted bail to Kejriwal on Thursday, stipulating a bail bond of ₹1 lakh. Special Judge Niyay Bindu of the Rouse Avenue Court had ruled that the Enforcement Directorate had failed to provide direct evidence linking Kejriwal to the alleged proceeds of the crime.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate. The probe agency had alleged that kickbacks from liquor sellers were used to fund AAP's electoral campaign in Goa. Kejriwal has vehemently denied these allegations, accusing the ED of engaging in extortion.
Notably, other AAP leaders arrested in the same case include former Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, Manish Sisodia, and Member of Parliament Sanjay Singh. Singh is currently out on bail. Earlier in May, the Supreme Court had granted interim bail to Kejriwal to enable him to campaign for the Lok Sabha elections. He returned to jail on June 2 after the interim bail period allowed by the apex court had expired.
