Excise case: HC questions ED on plea to cancel Arvind Kejriwal’s bail

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday questioned the ED as to what remained in its challenge seeking cancellation of bail granted to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal when he had already been granted interim bail by the Supreme Court in the excise policy-linked money laundering case. The high court said it was only an academic issue now and asked if the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) petition is allowed, will the agency again arrest the chief minister?

“Answer my question. What will happen if I allow your petition? Will you arrest him again?” Justice Neena Bansal Krishna asked the ED’s counsel.

To this, the counsel said there was no question of arrest and no one has declared his arrest to be illegal. The judge also said the applications filed in the case were so beautifully drafted that she got confused.

“Is it for bail, illegal custody or compensation? I am confused,” she said.

On July 12, the Supreme Court granted interim bail to Kejriwal in the money laundering case and referred to a larger bench for in-depth consideration of three questions on the aspect of “need and necessity of arrest” under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

But he remains in jail as he is in judicial custody in the Central Bureau of Investigation’s corruption case stemming out of the excise scam. At the outset, ED’s counsel urged the court to grant an adjournment and hear the matter on Thursday as the additional solicitor general who has to argue the case was busy in another court. The judge said it was not possible to list the matter for Thursday and remarked that the ED was not interested in the case anymore.