CBI heat on Arvind Kejriwal ahead of crucial hearing in Supreme Court today
In more trouble for jailed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) will produce him before a trial court on Wednesday.
Which may result in his arrest by the central agency. On the same day, the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear Arvind Kejriwal’s plea challenging a Delhi High Court order which paused the bail granted to him by a lower court.
On Monday, the CBI questioned Arvind Kejriwal in Tihar Jail in connection with the liquor policy case and recorded his statement. On Tuesday, the central agency moved an application before a special court seeking a production warrant for Kejriwal, which was later issued by the court.
The CBI will produce Arvind Kejriwal before a trial court at 10 am on Wednesday, likely before the Supreme Court hearing begins.
Since Kejriwal is already in judicial custody in an Enforcement Directorate case, his formal arrest can take place before a court. If the CBI arrests Kejriwal and gets his custody, the Delhi Chief Minister won’t be able to walk out of Tihar Jail on Wednesday even if the Supreme Court overturns the Delhi High Court’s stay on his bail.
The Aam Aadmi Party strongly reacted to the development, accusing the CBI of “conspiring to register a fake case” against Kejriwal.
“At a time when there is a cent per cent possibility that Arvind Kejriwal will get bail from the Supreme Court, sources have informed me that the Centre is conspiring to register a fake CBI case against the Delhi CM and get him arrested by the CBI. The entire nation can see this and is standing in solidarity with Arvind Kejriwal,” AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said.
On June 20, a Delhi court granted bail to Arvind Kejriwal, who was arrested on March 21 by the ED, and ordered his release on a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh. However, the ED moved the Delhi High Court challenging the bail order.
On June 21, the Delhi High Court put a stay on Kejriwal’s bail and reserved its order for June 25. Kejriwal’s legal team then moved Supreme Court and prayed to overturn the stay on his bail.
However, the Supreme Court refused to pass an immediate order and advised Kejriwal to wait for the High Court’s order.
Today, on June 25, the Delhi High Court pronounced its order, saying that the trial court did not lay out the conditions for Kejriwal’s release under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), under which the Chief Minister was charged.