Supreme Court Defers Hearing on Kejriwal's Pleas in Excise Policy Scam

The Supreme Court has deferred the hearing on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's pleas seeking bail and challenging his CBI arrest in the excise policy scam to September 5. The court allowed the CBI to file its counter affidavit and gave Kejriwal two days to file a rejoinder.

The Supreme Court on Friday postponed the hearing on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's bail pleas, related to the alleged excise policy scam, until September 5.

A bench led by Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan allowed the CBI to file its counter affidavit and granted Kejriwal two days to submit a rejoinder. Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, representing Kejriwal, noted that the CBI had only filed a counter affidavit for one plea and had done so late Thursday night. ASG SV Raju assured the court they would file a counter affidavit for the other plea within a week. The court scheduled further hearings for September 5.

Previously, the Delhi High Court upheld Kejriwal's arrest as lawful, noting his significant influence could deter witnesses from testifying. The Supreme Court had refused interim bail for Kejriwal during an earlier hearing, seeking a response from the CBI regarding his arrest. Kejriwal was detained by the CBI on June 26.

(With inputs from agencies.)