Excise policy case: Delhi HC halts Kejriwal’s bail

This comes after a trial court granted bail to the Delhi Chief Minister in connection with a money laundering case related to the now-scrapped excise policy

New Delhi: In a turn of events, the Delhi High Court on Friday stayed the release of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal on bail.

This comes after a Delhi court on Thursday granted bail to the Chief Minister in connection with a money laundering case related to the now-scrapped excise policy.

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Before the trial court on Thursday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had sought a 48-hour deferral in signing the bail bond following the pronouncement of the order. However, the trial court firmly denied the ED’s plea for a stay on the order.

On Friday, the ED moved the High Court challenging the aforementioned court’s bail order. The plea was urgently mentioned before a Vacation Bench comprising Justices Sudhir Kumar Jain and Ravinder Dudeja by Additional Solicitor General (ASG) SV Raju on behalf of the ED.

“I am moving for an urgent stay. The order was pronounced yesterday (Thursday) at 8. The order is not uploaded. We were not given a clear opportunity to oppose bail,” ASG Raju argued.

He further said his prayer for stay on the bail order wasn’t even considered. “I am demanding that the order be stayed and the matter be heard as soon as possible. We were denied the full opportunity to argue the case. I am making allegations with full seriousness,” he stated.

Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Kejriwal, opposed the stay request, citing legal precedents. “There are 10 Supreme Court judgments that cancellation of bail is radically different from grant of bail,” Singhvi contended.

After hearing arguments from both sides, the High Court directed that the bail order should not be enforced until the matter is heard in full.

“The bail order will not be given effect. We have not passed the final order. You may argue for as much as you can,” the Bench stated, effectively halting Kejriwal’s release.

The court has scheduled the matter for a hearing later in the day on Friday.