HC to pass order today on ED’s plea for stay on Kejriwal’s bail

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court will pronounce on Tuesday its verdict on a plea by the Enforcement Directorate seeking a stay on the trial court order granting bail to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the money laundering case stemming from the alleged excise scam.

The order is scheduled to be pronounced at 2:30 p.m.

In his written submission filed on Monday, the AAP leader defended the bail order and asserted that no prejudice would be caused to the ED if he is released at this stage as he could be sent back to custody in case the high court subsequently decides to set aside the order.

Staying the operation of “the well-reasoned bail order” would amount to virtually allowing the petition for cancellation of the bail, Kejriwal argued.

A vacation bench of Justice Sudhir Kumar Jain had reserved the order on June 21 after the agency challenged the trial court’s decision and put it in abeyance until the pronouncement.

The AAP national convenor, who was arrested on March 21 by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), could have walked out of Tihar jail had the high court not granted the interim relief to the central anti-money laundering agency.

The trial court granted bail to Kejriwal on June 20 and ordered his release on a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh, and imposed certain conditions, including that he will not try to hamper the investigation or influence the witnesses.