New Delhi: In a significant legal reversal, the Supreme Court of India granted bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today. The ruling overturns a prior decision that supported his arrest related to the Delhi excise policy case.
According to Kashmir Media Service, Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan of the Supreme Court composed the two-judge bench that issued the decision, previously reserved on September 5. They determined that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)’s reasons for detaining Kejriwal were insufficient.
Justice Kant pointed out the lack of justification in the CBI’s rationale, emphasizing that it failed to substantiate the need for ongoing imprisonment. Justice Bhuyan concurred, criticizing the basis of Kejriwal’s continued detention as a “travesty of justice,” especially since he had already secured bail in a concurrent case under the stringent Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The legal battle reached the Supreme Court following the Delhi High Court’s dismissal of Kejriwal’s appeal against the CBI arrest and his subsequent bail denial. Despite being granted interim bail by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on July 12 for a related charge, his release was impeded by the CBI’s subsequent arrest on June 26, 2024.
Representing Kejriwal, Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi argued against the fairness of the continued imprisonment, critiquing the CBI’s approach as an “insurance arrest” to forestall Kejriwal’s release.