Kejriwal’s bail plea: Delhi court seeks ED’s response, sets hearing for June 7

New Delhi: A Delhi court has issued a notice to the Enforcement Directorate regarding Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s application for regular bail in connection with the purported excise scam.

Special Judge Kaveri Baweja initially ordered the central probe agency to submit a response to Kejriwal’s application by the upcoming Saturday. However, the hearing was rescheduled to June 7 following the ED’s request for an extension.

Despite this, the judge mandated that the ED must provide a response by Saturday concerning another plea by Kejriwal, which seeks a week-long interim bail on medical grounds.

Currently, Kejriwal is on interim bail, sanctioned by the Supreme Court, valid until June 1. The Supreme Court’s registry declined an urgent hearing on Kejriwal’s request to extend his interim bail by a week for medical examinations, stating that since he was permitted to approach the trial court for regular bail, the plea was inadmissible.

The AAP leader had requested an additional seven days of interim bail to undergo various medical tests, including a PET-CT scan, due to “sudden and unexplained weight loss along with elevated ketone levels,” which may suggest severe health issues such as kidney or heart conditions, or even cancer.

In a new plea submitted to the Supreme Court on May 26, the chief minister expressed his wish to surrender to Tihar jail authorities on June 9 instead of June 2, which was the originally scheduled date for his return to custody.

Previously, on May 10, the apex court had granted Kejriwal a 21-day interim bail to participate in the Lok Sabha election campaign, instructing him to surrender on June 2, following the conclusion of the final phase of the seven-phase election.

The case in question pertains to alleged corrupt practices and money laundering during the creation and implementation of the Delhi government’s excise policy for the fiscal year 2021-22, which has since been revoked.