New Delhi : Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will remain in prison for now as the High Court on Friday placed an interim stay on a trial court’s order granting him bail in a money laundering case linked to the alleged Delhi liquor policy scam.
The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) approached the Delhi High Court on Friday to challenge the trial court’s June 20 order, which granted regular bail to Kejriwal. The ED argued that the order was issued without giving the agency sufficient opportunity to be heard.
The High Court announced that it would issue an order regarding the ED’s plea to stay the bail in the next two to three days, reserving the decision after hearing arguments. Speaking to the media, AAP Legal Cell State President Sanjeev Nasiar said, “By Monday or Tuesday, the court is likely to give its order on the stay application, and as per that order, it will be decided when Arvind Kejriwal will come out.”
On Thursday, the trial court had rejected the ED’s request to stay its bail order to allow the agency time to pursue legal remedies.
Kejriwal was arrested by the ED on March 21 from his official residence in connection with the money laundering case tied to the Delhi liquor policy. He was granted interim bail by the Supreme Court on May 10 to participate in the Lok Sabha election campaign until June 1. Following the campaign, the AAP chief surrendered to authorities at Tihar Prison on June 2, as directed by the court.
In response to the High Court’s interim stay, Delhi Minister and AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj criticized the federal probe agency, asserting that the trial court’s order on Thursday had undermined the ED’s case.
