'ED not acting without bias': Check what Delhi Court said in Arvind Kejriwal's bail order
granted bail to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday, citing insufficient evidence and potential bias in the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) investigation into the alleged money laundering case, in a 25-page order that was released on Friday.
Special Judge Niyay Bindu of the Rouse Avenue Court highlighted the lack of clear evidence linking Kejriwal to the crime and questioned the ED’s investigative methods.
The court noted the ED’s failure to demonstrate how the alleged proceeds of crime were used in the 2022 Goa assembly elections by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The judge pointed out that only Rs 40 crore of the alleged Rs 100 crore had been traced, with no timeline provided for locating the remaining amount. «ED has failed to clarify as to how much time is required for tracing out the complete money trail,» Judge Bindu remarked, emphasising that Kejriwal's prolonged detention without substantial evidence was unacceptable.
Additionally, the court criticized the ED for relying on statements from co-accused and approvers without corroborating evidence. The order stated, «The court has to take a pause to consider this argument which is not a potable submission that investigation is an art because if it is so, then, any person can be implicated and kept behind the bars by artistically procuring the material against him after artistically avoiding/withdrawing exculpatory material from the record.»
The court also highlighted the ED's silence on issues such as Kejriwal not being named in the CBI's FIR or the ED's
