New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s bail plea in connection with the CBI’s investigation into the liquor policy scam case was heard in the Delhi High Court on Wednesday. Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Kejriwal, contested the grounds of the CBI’s arrest, questioning its timing and necessity.
Singhvi argued before the court that the CBI had not arrested Kejriwal over the past two years but chose to do so only when he was on the verge of receiving relief in a related Enforcement Directorate (ED) case. “Kejriwal is an elected chief minister, not a terrorist,” Singhvi emphasised.
Presenting three critical orders to the court, Singhvi highlighted the interim bail previously granted to Kejriwal by the trial court, the Supreme Court’s interim bail for election campaigning, and the recent interim bail in the ED case. “When Kejriwal was about to get bail, he was arrested by the CBI,” Singhvi stated, adding that the CBI had not seen the need for arrest even after recording Kejriwal’s statement.
Singhvi pointed out that the Supreme Court, by granting bail in the ED case, had expressed satisfaction that Kejriwal would not tamper with evidence or influence witnesses while on bail. He criticised the CBI’s actions, noting that the agency’s FIR, filed in August 2022, did not initially list Kejriwal as an accused. Kejriwal had been summoned in April 2023 merely to provide testimony as a witness.
Drawing a parallel to the recent arrest of Pakistan’s Imran Khan, Singhvi argued that such practices should not occur in India. He contended that Kejriwal’s arrest violated fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles 14, 21, and 22 of the Constitution.
The CBI had previously applied to the trial court for permission to interrogate Kejriwal, but the court had not deemed it necessary to issue a notice to him. Singhvi criticised the justification given for Kejriwal’s arrest, which was based on his alleged failure to provide satisfactory answers during questioning. “Can arrest be made for not giving the answer the investigating agency wants? How can this be the basis in itself?” Singhvi questioned, referencing a recent order by Justice Sanjiv Khanna, who stated that interrogation alone cannot justify an arrest.
The hearing in the Delhi High Court continues as Kejriwal seeks relief from what his legal team argues is an unjust and constitutionally questionable detention.
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