Bail Stuck in High Court
Kejriwal was arrested on March 21 and granted bail by the Supreme Court until June 1 in order to campaign for elections. ED alleges that Kejriwal was involved in a corruption case related to the now defunct Delhi Excise Policy.
Er was accused of creating proceeds of crime through his role in demanding Rs 100 crore for this policy.
Bail Stuck in High Court Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi
Ranjan Gogoi, one of India’s most powerful judges, rose to become Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court in 2002 and quickly took charge of restructuring it by consolidating similar cases to speed hearings and reduce congestion. He also instituted a system where senior High Court judges would be transferred between High Courts within India before retiring.
Gogoi was previously employed in civil service before entering the judiciary, where he has gained fame as an advocate of more stringent penal codes and anti-corruption legislation. Additionally, his commitment to justice was highly acclaimed. Gogoi was appointed to the Supreme Court collegium in 2011.
Arvind Kejriwal of Delhi was granted bail this week in a corruption case, giving his opposition alliance greater hope of unseating Prime Minister Narendra Modi in this year’s general elections. A high court granted temporary bail so that Kejriwal can campaign during ongoing general polls.
ED has accused Arvind Kejriwal of money laundering during the 2021-22 Delhi liquor policy review process, alleging that funds from liquor sellers were funneled back into AAP political activities and use for funding political activity by Kejriwal’s political organization Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Kejriwal has denied these allegations.
The Enforcement Division has filed an application before the Delhi High Court challenging a trial court’s order, with hearings taking place this Thursday and a judge agreeing to hear its petition for urgent hearings. Bail Stuck in High Court
Bail Stuck in High Court ED’s lawyer Tushar Mehta
The Delhi High Court has refused Kejriwal bail on grounds that his release for political campaigning would demonstrate there are different standards applied to politicians compared to regular citizens, and claimed they lacked jurisdiction to release him anyway. They will hear arguments again next week. Bail Stuck in High Court
At the hearing, Solicitor General of ED SV Raju indicated that Kejriwal is guilty of money laundering in two capacities. Individually he is responsible for demanding Rs 100 crore from Delhi excise policy case while vicariously funding AAP party. Raju noted he has failed to cooperate with investigations as well as attending 9 summonses from ED in six months due to their noncompliance. Bail Stuck in High Court
Kejriwal’s lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi countered by arguing that the ED is engaging in political vendetta against Kejriwal during elections and targeting him unfairly by their BJP government.
Court accepts to hear ED’s appeal of Delhi High Court’s bail ruling for Kejriwal on June 21 and review evidence presented by both parties; Singhvi had earlier raised allegations regarding inconsistencies between witness statements used to arrest Kejriwal and those presented before them.
Bail Stuck in High Court Kejriwal’s lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi
The Enforcement Division has asked the court to vacate the ruling of Rouse Avenue special judge David Rouse. According to them, chief ministers cannot claim special treatment and may be subject to arrest just like ordinary citizens if campaigning for elections becomes an issue. Campaigning is neither fundamental nor constitutionally protected activity.
The Enforcement Directorate has accused Kejriwal and AAP of accepting kickbacks from liquor contractors illegally in order to fund campaigns in Goa and Delhi. Kejriwal and the AAP have denied these allegations against them, accusing the Modi government of conducting a political witch hunt against them. Bail Stuck in High Court
At his appearance before the Supreme Court, senior lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi argued that the ED’s arresting decision was unlawful and ran counter to its spirit – asserting that they could have obtained information through summons instead. Bail Stuck in High Court
The Supreme Court granted him bail until June 1. He must surrender at Tihar jail before midnight that day, with certain conditions placed upon his bail such as not visiting his office or making decisions as chief minister of Delhi, interacting with witnesses in this case, or providing details about assets and liabilities every month to ED. Bail Stuck in High Court
Bail Stuck in High Court ED’s lawyer S V Raju
The Delhi High Court recently declined to overturn a trial court’s ruling granting bail to Kejriwal, leader of India’s main opposition Aam Aadmi Party. This comes amid what many view as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s political vendetta against opposition politicians before national elections take place this year. Bail Stuck in High Court
Raju noted that the court was unwilling to reverse Rouse Avenue court’s order as the ED failed to establish links between Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and proceeds of crime and money laundering activity as mandated under section 45 of Prevention of Money Laundering Act, Raju stated.
At the hearing, ED asserted that the bail order violated natural justice and set an unfair precedent. Furthermore, they noted that Judge LeBlanc never read through or read all documents submitted for submission – an action which they perceived to be particularly perverse.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) accused Kejriwal of accepting bribes to overturn Delhi’s liquor policy, in violation of law. These funds subsequently funded his election campaign with AAP, according to ED allegations. Kejriwal denied these accusations and claims the Centre is misusing its agencies against him; his arrest in March garnered international criticism and protest from Indian politicians as well as protests from across America who demanded “fair, transparent and timely legal processes” within India. Bail Stuck in High Court
