Supreme Court To Decide On Arvind Kejriwal's Interim Bail In Money Laundering Case

The Supreme Court is set to announce its decision regarding granting interim bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in connection with a money laundering case linked to an alleged excise policy scam on May 10.

Justice Sanjiv Khanna, leading the Bench handling Mr. Kejriwal’s petition against his arrest, stated that the interim order on bail will be delivered on Friday, along with addressing the broader issue of challenging the arrest.

This statement came after Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju, representing the Centre in a Goods and Services Tax-related matter, sought clarity on the scheduling of Kejriwal's plea.

Arvind Kejriwal, leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), was arrested on March 21 and is currently held in Tihar Jail under judicial custody.

The Bench, also including Justice Dipankar Datta, had previously reserved its decision on granting interim bail to Kejriwal on May 7.

During the hearing, senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi and Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju presented arguments for Mr. Kejriwal and the Enforcement Directorate, respectively. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the probe agency, firmly opposed any leniency towards Kejriwal, arguing against granting interim bail and citing concerns about creating a special category for politicians.

The court divided the hearing on Kejriwal’s petition into two parts: one challenging his arrest by the ED, and the other concerning the grant of interim bail in light of the ongoing Lok Sabha polls.

Meanwhile, a Delhi court extended Kejriwal's judicial custody in the money laundering case until May 20.

The Delhi High Court had earlier upheld Kejriwal's arrest on April 9, stating that the ED's actions were warranted due to his repeated refusal to cooperate with summonses and investigations related to alleged corruption and money laundering in the Delhi government's excise policy for 2021-22.