Setback for Arvind Kejriwal as Supreme Court Rejects Plea Seeking Interim Bail Extension

In a major setback for Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the Supreme Court Registry on Wednesday declined to accept his request for a seven-day extension of his interim bail. The registry's refusal, based on Kejriwal's earlier permission to seek regular bail from the trial court, rendered his plea inadmissible.

The apex court's vacation bench, led by Justices JK Maheshwari and KV Viswanathan, acknowledged the arguments presented by senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi on behalf of the chief minister. However, the decision on the listing of the interim plea was deferred to the Chief Justice of India (CJI), as the main matter's judgment was pending.

Kejriwal had filed for an extension of his interim bail to undergo various medical examinations, including a PET-CT scan, due to sudden and unexplained weight loss and elevated ketone levels, potentially indicating serious health issues. In his latest plea submitted on May 26, Kejriwal proposed to surrender before jail authorities on June 9 instead of the initially scheduled date of June 2.

The Supreme Court had granted Kejriwal a 21-day interim bail on May 10, allowing him to campaign for the Lok Sabha polls amidst his arrest in a money laundering case in connection with the alleged liquor policy scam. The directive mandated his surrender on June 2, a day after the conclusion of the seven-phase polling. The case pertains to alleged corruption and money laundering in the formulation and implementation of the Delhi government's now-abolished excise policy for the fiscal year 2021-22.