Delhi High Court reserves judgment on CM Arvind Kejriwal's plea challenging CBI arrest

The CBI counsel said that CM Kejriwal could not use the trial court's June 20 order that granted him bail in the money laundering case. Singh highlighted that the Delhi High Court had stayed that order through a detailed 30-page ruling.

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First Published Jul 17, 2024, 4:37 PM IST | Last Updated Jul 17, 2024, 4:37 PM IST

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday (July 17) reserved its judgment on the plea filed by jailed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, challenging his arrest and remand by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the ongoing excise policy case. The court also reserved its order on Kejriwal's plea seeking interim bail. Representing the CBI, Special Public Prosecutor DP Singh argued that CM Kejriwal could not leverage the interim relief granted by the Supreme Court, which allowed him 21 days for the Lok Sabha elections, to his advantage in this case.

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Singh further contended that the CBI had the liberty to arrest an individual on "mere suspicion" and had "probable reasons" for arresting Kejriwal. "The CrPC permits arrest for the purpose of investigation. Kejriwal's arrest was necessary because his custodial interrogation had become essential," Singh argued.

He claimed that the CBI possessed "sufficient material" to demonstrate that Kejriwal could influence and derail the investigation. Singh added that the investigation was in its final stages, and there was a "reasonable apprehension" that Kejriwal could influence witnesses if released.

On the other hand, Kejriwal's counsel, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, described the CBI's stance as a 'delaying tactic,' arguing that the agency had not provided any reason for why the court should not hear Kejriwal's bail plea.

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Singhvi argued that the most recent evidence the CBI had against the AAP leader dated back to January 2024. "The probe agency has not collected any new evidence since January 2024, and now the CBI has presented a new document dated June 13, which has not been used anywhere. Can you bring any new document post-arrest?" Singhvi questioned.

"You did not produce it when you issued the 41A notice. Where is this? You cannot just make oral claims across the court. Based on the entire material, there is NOTHING NEW to justify Kejriwal's arrest," he added.

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