On Friday, the Delhi High Court halted the release of Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi and leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), on bail.
This decision comes on the heels of a lower court granting him bail just a day earlier in connection with a money laundering case linked to the erstwhile excise policy.
Overview:
On Thursday, a Delhi court had granted bail to Kejriwal, dismissing the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) plea for a 48-hour deferment in the signing of the bail bond after the verdict.
The trial court’s refusal to stay its bail order prompted the ED to swiftly approach the High Court challenging the decision.
Appearing before a Vacation Bench of Justices Sudhir Kumar Jain and Ravinder Dudeja on Friday, Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, representing the ED, urgently sought a stay on Kejriwal’s bail order.
Raju argued that they did not afford the ED a fair opportunity to oppose the bail plea and emphasized the urgency of the matter.
ASG Raju told the bench, “We did not receive a clear opportunity to oppose bail. I demand an immediate stay on the order and an expedited hearing of the matter.”
In response, Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Arvind Kejriwal, contested the stay request, citing established legal principles and precedents from the Supreme Court.
Singhvi argued, “Cancellation of bail is substantially different from the grant of bail. There are ten Supreme Court judgments that reinforce this distinction.”
Meanwhile, after hearing arguments from both parties, the High Court issued an interim order, directing that the bail order in favor of Arvind Kejriwal should not be implemented until further hearings are conducted.
“We have not issued the final order. You may argue for as long as you wish,” declared the Bench, effectively halting Kejriwal’s release.
The High Court has scheduled the case for further hearing later on Friday, signaling a continuation of the legal battle over the Chief Minister’s bail in the contentious money laundering case.
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