Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal faced a setback on Tuesday as the Supreme Court declined to grant him immediate relief in a money laundering case, hindering his ability to campaign in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Accused in a case linked to the alleged Delhi excise scam, Kejriwal sought interim bail to participate in the election campaign. However, a two-judge bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta adjourned the hearing without delivering a verdict on the matter.
The bench, after hearing arguments from senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi representing Kejriwal and Additional Solicitor General S V Raju representing the Enforcement Directorate, reserved its decision on the grant of interim bail. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, also representing the probe agency, vehemently opposed leniency towards Kejriwal, arguing that granting him interim bail would create a separate class for politicians.
The court divided the hearing into two parts: Kejriwal’s main petition challenging his arrest and seeking it to be declared illegal, and the issue of interim bail during the Lok Sabha polls. While the court reserved its order on interim bail, it indicated that the matter might be heard on Thursday or the following week.
In the meantime, a Delhi court extended Kejriwal’s judicial custody until May 20 in the money laundering case. Kejriwal, who was arrested on March 21 and is currently in Tihar Jail, appeared before the court through a video conference.
The Delhi High Court had earlier upheld Kejriwal’s arrest on April 9, stating that the ED had “little option” after he repeatedly ignored summonses and refused to cooperate with the investigation. The case revolves around alleged corruption and money laundering in the formulation and execution of the Delhi government’s excise policy for 2021-22, which has since been scrapped.
