On Wednesday, the Rouse Avenue Court in Delhi extended Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s judicial custody until July 3. The court heard Kejriwal’s petition seeking regular bail.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) informed the Rouse Avenue Court that they had evidence of Kejriwal demanding Rs 100 crore in kickbacks related to the now-withdrawn liquor policy case.
Additional Solicitor General SV Raju stated that the court had acknowledged the chargesheet filed on allegations of money laundering in the case. He emphasized that the rejection of bail applications for co-accused, including former Delhi minister Manish Sisodia, indicated that the court accepted the money laundering charges.
“The court’s acknowledgment of money laundering suggests that the court is convinced of a prima facie case. The CBI probe revealed that Kejriwal demanded a bribe of Rs 100 crore. We had collected evidence even before the arrest,” ASG Raju said on behalf of the ED.
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Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal appeared before the court via video conference
Kejriwal’s lawyer, Vikram Chaudhary, argued that Kejriwal had not been named in any chargesheet filed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). “Even in the FIR lodged by the CBI, Kejriwal has not been named as an accused,” Chaudhary noted.
Chaudhary further argued that it seemed the ED was prosecuting Kejriwal not under the PMLA but in the CBI case. He highlighted that the Supreme Court, in its May 10 order, had allowed Kejriwal to file a bail petition in the lower court.
Kejriwal’s lawyer also pointed out that the entire case relied on statements from witnesses who were arrested earlier and promised bail. “These witnesses were lured with promises of pardon. Their credibility is questionable. The whole case began in August 2022, and Kejriwal’s arrest occurred in March 2024, just before the elections. There is malice behind the timing of Kejriwal’s arrest,” he argued.
