Supreme Court Grants Bail to Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal in Excise Policy Case

Supreme Court Grants Bail to Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal in Excise Policy Case

The Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the ongoing excise policy case. The top court had reserved its verdict on September 5 after hearing arguments from both sides, including the counsel representing Kejriwal and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). During the proceedings, Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, representing the CBI, objected to Kejriwal bypassing the trial court and directly approaching the Delhi High Court for bail, before moving to the apex court.

Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 21, 2023, as part of a money laundering investigation linked to alleged irregularities in the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy of 2021-22. Later, on June 26, the CBI also arrested him while he was still in the ED’s custody concerning the same case.

The Supreme Court, while granting bail, raised concerns over the nature of the CBI’s arrest and questioned whether it was aimed at frustrating Kejriwal’s chances of getting bail in the case investigated by the ED.

The Delhi Excise Policy Case

The Delhi government’s excise policy for 2021-22 aimed to overhaul the city’s liquor business by moving from a sales-volume-based regime to a license fee-based model for traders. This policy also promised to modernize liquor stores by removing metal grilles, offering consumers a more upscale shopping experience.

However, the policy was later scrapped after Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena called for a CBI investigation, citing alleged irregularities. According to the ED, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), led by Kejriwal, received kickbacks amounting to ₹100 crore to facilitate the policy’s approval. It was also alleged that a significant portion of this money was used to fund AAP’s election campaign in Goa.