High court to hear Kejriwal’s bail plea on June 14

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has submitted its response to the standard bail request made by Delhi’s Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal. Kejriwal is detained in connection with the liquor policy fraud case.

The court is scheduled to consider Kejriwal’s request for bail on June 14. In the proceedings before Judge Kaveri Baveja at Rouse Avenue Court, Kejriwal’s defense attorney, Senior Advocate N Hariharan, requested a delay until tomorrow. Citing the reason attorney said that he would need additional time to review the 182-page reply provided by the ED in the case .

Hariharan argued that he received the reply just before the bail hearing took place today, stating, “Just because I have the advance copy doesn’t mean I have it a day before.” However, the Additional Solicitor General (ASG), SV Raju, mentioned that the summer vacation period of the trial court begins with tomorrow’s hearing.

The ASG contested that it’s not just Arvind Kejriwal’s situation; “We are dealing with numerous other cases, creating a significant workload. If this particular case is scheduled for a vacation judge, it would require me to miss my planned leave.” Kejriwal’s attorney was very quick to respond to this. Hariharan pointed out that such a scenario, where bail is granted but the defense faces accusations of being absent from court, has never occurred.

The ASG made it clear that he would be able to present the case independently, without needing the ED’s response from earlier today. He proposed that the ED’s statements wouldn’t need to be officially documented.

Hariharan reiterated that the ED is prohibited from delaying the bail hearing with claims about court vacations or against the handling of the case by the vacation judges. He argued that the department is operating non-stop. This suggestion was taken as ridiculous. Keeping me in jail for two weeks for this? It seems unfair.

The case’s hearing was scheduled for June 14, with Vacation Judge Mukesh Kumar set to preside over it. Additionally, Special Advocate Zoheb Hussain represented the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in today’s proceedings. Kejriwal was detained by the ED on March 21, accused of being involved in a plot to intentionally create gaps in the Delhi Excise Policy for the 2021-22 fiscal year to favor specific liquor vendors.