Will it be a bail for Arvind Kejriwal? It will be known today as the Supreme Court is set to deliver a crucial verdict on Kejriwal’s petitions seeking bail and challenging his arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the excise policy case.
The bench had reserved its verdict on September 5. The SC bench, comprising Justice Surya Kant and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, will give the verdict at 10:30 am.
If the verdict comes in his favour, Kejriwal will walk out of jail nearly six months after he was first arrested. The Delhi CM was arrested on March 21 in the money laundering case stemming from the alleged liquor policy scam by the Enforcement Directorate. He was formally arrested by the CBI on June 26.
Also Read: Delhi Excise Policy Scam: SC reserves order on Arvind Kejriwal’s pleas seeking interim bail, challenging CBI arrest
Kejriwal was granted bail in the ED case on July 12 by the Supreme Court but he could not walk out of jail as he was also arrested by the CBI.
In various courts since, including in the Supreme Court in this round of petitions, senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for Kejriwal criticised that second arrest as an “insurance”, arguing it was designed to keep the AAP leader in jail, and his party on edge, before February’s Delhi election.
If the Delhi CM is granted bail, then he will be the fourth high-profile leader to be released in the liquor policy case after AAP leaders Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh, Vijay Nair and Bharat Rashtra Samithi’s K Kavitha.