Supreme Court Declines Arvind Kejriwal's Interim Bail in Excise Policy Scam

The Supreme Court denied interim bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in a corruption case related to the excise policy scam. Despite securing bail in a related money laundering case, Kejriwal's plea was rejected. The court emphasized his alleged influence over witnesses and adjourned the hearing to August 23.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to grant interim bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in a corruption case filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) related to the alleged excise policy scam. The court sought a response from the probe agency on Kejriwal's plea challenging his arrest.

Before a bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan, senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, representing Kejriwal, argued that his client had previously received interim bail in a money laundering case connected to the alleged scam, despite stringent conditions.

Singhvi noted that Kejriwal obtained interim bail orders in May and July, and regular bail in June, which was later stayed by the Delhi High Court. Citing health concerns, Singhvi requested interim bail, but the Supreme Court did not grant the relief and scheduled the next hearing for August 23.

The Delhi High Court had upheld the legal validity of Kejriwal's arrest by the CBI, stating that sufficient evidence was gathered and that witnesses felt safer to testify after his detention. The excise policy project was scrapped in 2022 following concerns of irregularities.

(With inputs from agencies.)