Delhi Excise policy case: Supreme Court to hear Arvind Kejriwal's interim bail petition today
Supreme Court is poised to deliver an order today on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's interim bail in a money laundering case filed against him by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) regarding the Delhi excise policy case.
A bench led by Justice Sanjiv Khanna hinted on Wednesday that it might decide on the interim relief for Kejriwal on Friday, informing the Enforcement Directorate counsel, Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, of this possibility.
Kejriwal was arrested by the ED on March 21 in connection with a money laundering probe linked to alleged irregularities in the now-defunct Delhi excise policy 2021-22.
The bench had suggested on Tuesday that it might grant interim bail to Kejriwal to enable him to campaign for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. However, it had also indicated that if interim bail were granted, Kejriwal would be barred from discharging any official duties as Chief Minister.
The ED had opposed his bail in the top court, which was hearing arguments on the matter.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, also representing the ED, had argued at an earlier hearing that there shouldn't be any deviation in the treatment of Kejriwal just because he is Chief Minister. He questioned whether the Supreme Court was making exceptions for politicians, stating, «How can a Chief Minister be treated differently from an aam aadmi? There can't be any deviation only because he is a chief minister. Would campaigning for elections be more important?»
In response, the bench noted that elections are held once every
