Supreme Court Adjourns Hearing on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's Bail Plea

The Supreme Court on Friday adjourned the hearing of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s bail plea challenging his arrest anf seeking bail in a case filed by the CBI related to the now defunct excise policy case. The adjournment came after the CBI requested additional time to file a counter-affidavit. The case will now be heard on September 5 by Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan.

During the hearing, Additional Solicitor General SV Raju asked for more time to submit a counter-affidavit for one of Kejriwal’s petitions. Raju noted that the CBI had already filed a counter-affidavit for another petition. In response, Senior Advocate Dr. Abhishek Manu Singhvi argued that a counter-affidavit was filed late the previous evening to avoid it reaching the bench in time.

The Supreme Court granted the CBI additional time to file its reply and allowed Kejriwal to file a rejoinder if necessary. Kejriwal’s petition challenges a Delhi High Court order from August 5, which dismissed his plea against the CBI arrest while allowing him to seek bail from the trial court.

Kejriwal, arrested by the CBI on June 26, 2024, while in custody of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), was granted interim bail by the Supreme Court on July 12 in a related money laundering case. Despite this, he remained in custody due to the CBI’s arrest.

On August 5, the Delhi High Court upheld the CBI’s arrest of Kejriwal but permitted him to seek bail from the trial court. Kejriwal subsequently appealed to the Supreme Court, which on August 14 issued a notice but did not grant interim bail. Singhvi argued that Kejriwal had received interim bail under stringent conditions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and questioned why he should not be granted regular bail in the CBI case, suggesting that the CBI’s arrest was an "insurance arrest" made just before Kejriwal’s release from ED custody.