Arvind Kejriwal
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has been granted bail in the liquor policy case, with his lawyer arguing that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) lacked substantial evidence against him. Kejriwal, leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), is expected to be released from jail tomorrow, pending the delivery of the bail order to the jail authorities.
Kejriwal’s lawyer emphasized in court that the ED’s case relied heavily on statements from individuals who had turned approver. These individuals had confessed to their involvement, but their credibility was questioned by the defense. The court dismissed the ED’s request for a 48-hour delay to challenge the bail order.
“The statements are from individuals who have admitted guilt and are not credible witnesses. Some were promised bail and pardon in exchange for their statements. Others were not even arrested,” Kejriwal’s lawyer argued. Following these statements, the court reserved its order and announced the bail decision around 8 pm.
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The defense pointed out that the prosecution’s case was based on statements lacking intrinsic links to Kejriwal’s guilt. “There is no evidence of ₹100 crore coming from the ‘South Group’, only unsubstantiated statements,” the lawyer noted. The ‘South Group’ refers to a Telangana lobby accused of manipulating liquor licenses in Delhi.
Kejriwal was arrested by the ED on March 21 over money laundering allegations related to the 2021-22 Delhi liquor policy, which was later scrapped after objections from the Lieutenant Governor. The ED claimed that funds received from liquor sellers were used to finance AAP’s campaign in Goa, linking Kejriwal to the alleged financial misconduct due to his role as the party’s convenor.
