Delhi High Court adjourns Arvind Kejriwal bail plea despite opposition by Delhi CM

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday rejected a request by Arvind Kejriwal to hear his bail matter in the Delhi excise policy money laundering case on an urgent basis. .The High Court had earlier stayed the bail granted to Kejriwal by the trial court after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) moved the High Court challenging the trial court's bail order.Justice Neena Bansal Krishna of High Court today deferred the hearing in the case after Additional Solicitor General (ASG) SV Raju said that Kejriwal's reply to ED's plea was served to them late last night and the agency would need time to file a rejoinder affidavit to the same.Raju said that the reply copy was served to them at 11 PM on Tuesday night and they have not had the time to prepare and file a rejoinder. Senior Advocate Dr Abhishek Manu Singhvi appeared for Kejriwal and challenged the ED's claim. Singhvi stated that the reply copy was mailed to the Investigating Office (IO) at 1 PM on Tuesday. Singhvi added that there is an extreme urgency in the matter as the bail granted to Kejriwal has been stayed by the High Court. He added he is ready to argue the case without relying on his counter affidavit..However, Justice Krishna remarked that ED is entitled to file rejoinder to Kejriwal's reply.It, therefore, adjourned the case to July 15. .Kejriwal was arrested by the ED on March 21 on allegations that he was part of a conspiracy to intentionally leave loopholes in the now-scrapped Delhi Excise Policy for 2021-22, to benefit certain liquor sellers.It is the ED's case that that kickbacks received from liquor sellers in exchange for favourable terms in the Delhi excise policy were used to fund the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) electoral campaign in Goa and Kejriwal being the National Convenor of the party is both personally and vicariously liable for the offence of money laundering.Kejriwal has denied the allegations and has accused the ED of running an extortion racket..Special Judge (PC Act) Niyay Bindu of the Rouse Avenue Court granted bail to him in the ED case on June 20.The judge said that ED failed to give any direct evidence linking Kejriwal to the proceeds of the crime and has also failed to show that another accused, Vijay Nair, was acting on Kejriwal's behalf.Judge Bindu had also said that the ED was acting with bias against Kejriwal.The ED had immediately moved the Delhi High Court which on June 25, stayed the trial court order. This meant that Kejriwal has continued to remain in jail till date. Subsequently, Kejriwal was also arrested by the CBI on June 26 and remanded to CBI custody till June 29.Kejriwal's petitions seeking bail in the CBI case as well his arrest and CBI remand are also pending before the High Court. .Other AAP leaders arrested in the same case include former Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, Manish Sisodia and Member of Parliament Sanjay Singh.Singh is currently out on bail though Sisodia continue to languish in jail.