The Delhi High Court has granted former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal a final opportunity to present his arguments regarding his petition against the trial court’s bail order. Justice Ravindra Dudeja has scheduled the next hearing for November, stating that no further opportunities will be provided after that date. During the proceedings on Tuesday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) informed the court that Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju was unavailable due to his involvement in a Supreme Court case. The High Court emphasized that both parties must conclude their arguments in the upcoming hearing.
Previously, on August 7, 2024, the High Court noted that Kejriwal was already on interim bail granted by the Supreme Court and questioned if there were plans for his re-arrest. Kejriwal contended that the ED had coerced witnesses into providing statements. The Delhi High Court had previously stayed the trial court’s bail order, deeming it flawed due to the lower court’s failure to adequately review the documents and its lack of opportunity for the ED to argue its case. It also highlighted that the trial court did not fulfill the two critical conditions stipulated under Section 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The interim bail granted to Kejriwal earlier this year by the Supreme Court was specifically for election campaigning and could not be used as a general justification for personal liberty. It is important to note that Kejriwal was arrested by the CBI on June 26, 2024, in connection with the alleged excise policy scam. While he has received regular bail in the CBI case, he still faces proceedings in the ED case related to the same issue.