Arvind Kejriwal news highlights: AAP to challenge HC order in Supreme Court

Arvind Kejriwal News Live: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday said it disagrees with the Delhi High Court order staying the bail granted to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal by the trial court and will challenge it in the Supreme Court.

The Delhi High Court earlier in the day stayed the trial court order granting bail to Kejriwal in the money laundering case stemming from the alleged excise policy scam in Delhi.

Arvind Kejriwal News Live: * November 2021: Delhi government introduces new excise policy.

* July 2022: Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena recommends a CBI probe into alleged irregularities in the formulation and implementation of the policy.

* August 2022: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) register cases in connection with the alleged irregularities.

* September 2022: The Delhi government scraps the excise policy.

* October 2023 to March 2024: The ED issues nine summonses to Kejriwal in connection with the money-laundering case.

* March 21: The Delhi High Court refuses to grant protection from arrest to Kejriwal on his petition challenging the summonses issued to him. The ED arrests the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader shortly thereafter.

* May 10: The Supreme Court grants interim bail to Kejriwal till June 1 to campaign in the Lok Sabha polls, says he will have to surrender and go back to jail on June 2.

* June 20: The trial court grants regular bail to Kejriwal.

* June 21: The ED moves the high court challenging the trial court's bail order. The high court issues a notice on the agency's plea, suspends the bail order until pronouncement on the issue of stay.

* June 25: The high court stays the bail granted to Kejriwal by the trial court in the money-laundering case.

Arvind Kejriwal News Live: In a blow to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the Delhi High Court on Tuesday stayed the trial court order granting him bail in the money laundering case arising from the alleged excise scam, holding that the lower court did not "appropriately appreciate" the material placed before it by the Enforcement Directorate.

A vacation bench of Justice Sudhir Kumar Jain said the ED's contentions assailing the bail order required serious consideration.

"The Vacation (trial) Judge while passing the Impugned Order did not appropriately appreciate the material/documents submitted on record and pleas taken by ED and the averments/grounds as raised in the petition under section 439(2) of the Code require serious consideration," it said.

"Accordingly, the present application is allowed and the operation of the Impugned Order is stayed," the court said.

Arvind Kejriwal News Live: On Delhi HC allowing ED's plea to stay trial court's bail order for Arvind Kejriwal in Excise Policy case, Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj says, "It is very unusual that without reading the order of the trial court, Delhi High Court stayed the court order granting bail to Kejriwal...We will make a legal strategy regarding it..."

ANI

Arvind Kejriwal News Live: "This entire liquor scam is fake and has been scripted in BJP office. When you ready the trial court order, they have addressed all the documents, except some irrelevant documents. They (trail court) have clearly stated that there is no evidence linking Arvind Kejriwal to this so-called liquor scam. The High Court ordered stay without even looking at the trial court order. We do not agree with this verdict; our legal team is looking into this and will take advisable step," said AAP Spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar

Arvind Kejriwal News Live: We disagree with order, will challenge it in SC, AAP said on Delhi HC staying bail granted to CM Arvind Kejriwal by trial court in excise policy case.

Arvind Kejriwal News Live: Furthermore, Delhi high court pointed out that the trial court did not address the issue of Kejriwal's potential vicarious liability for the offences committed by AAP.

Arvind Kejriwal News Live: Justice Sudhir Kumar Jain, from the vacation bench, stated, "The application is allowed, and the operation of the impugned order is stayed." The high court noted that the trial court should have given the ED a fair chance to present their case and should have recorded its satisfaction under Section 45 of the PMLA that "there are reasonable grounds for believing that Kejriwal is not guilty of such offence."

Arvind Kejriwal News Live: The Delhi high court criticised the trial court's claim that the vacation judge could not examine the voluminous records submitted by the ED, calling this claim "unjustified" and "uncalled for." It said that this demonstrated that the trial court has “not applied its mind” while granting bail.

Arvind Kejriwal News Live: The Delhi High Court has upheld the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) appeal against the trial court's decision to grant bail to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal in the excise policy case. The high court stated that the vacation judge did not adequately review the crucial documents presented by the ED.

Arvind Kejriwal LIVE Updates: Delhi HC stayed the bail given to CM Kejriwal by trial court.

Arvind Kejriwal LIVE Updates: In its 25-page order granting bail to chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday, Delhi special judge Niyay Bindu cited a lack of direct evidence implicating Kejriwal in the money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in the 2021 excise policy case and a potential bias in the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) approach.

Arvind Kejriwal LIVE Updates: SV Raju, additional solicitor general, while appearing for the ED argued in the high court that full opportunity was not provided to the central probe agency to oppose the Aam Aadmi Party convenor's bail.

“When turn of my friend came, he said I will be brief. He never touched anything & glossed over everything in the cursory manner. When I argued, I was told 15 minutes but I said that I would need 1/2 hours & it has been mentioned by Bar & Bench that my arguments were curtailed,” Raju said in the high court.

Arvind Kejriwal Live Updates: Delhi high court will shortly pronounce a verdict on the Enforcement Directorate's plea seeking a stay on the trial court's order, which granted bail to chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in the excise policy case.

Arvind Kejriwal Live Updates: The Delhi government had come up with an excise policy in 2021-22 aiming to revitalise the city's flagging liquor business by replacing the sales-volume-based regime with a license fee for traders and promised swankier stores, free of the infamous metal grilles, ultimately giving customers a better buying experience. However, the policy was scrapped after Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena sought a CBI probe into the policy, alleging irregularities.

Arvind Kejriwal Live Updates: If the Delhi high court denies bail to Kejriwal today, the Supreme Court will hear the AAP leader's plea against the Delhi High Court order putting interim stay on his bail in the money laundering case linked to the alleged excise scam on Wednesday, June 26.

Arvind Kejriwal Live Updates: The Delhi high court will be pronouncing the verdict on the Enforcement Directorate's plea seeking a stay on the trial court's order at 2:30 pm today.

Arvind Kejriwal Live Updates: Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Kejriwal, requested the Supreme Court on Monday to lift the temporary halt on the bail order. He argued that Kejriwal should be released until the Delhi high court decides on the matter. He added that the Delhi CM was not a flight risk. “I know what I am asking. This court must stay the high court order before it is being pronounced just like the high court had stayed the bail order on mere mention by the Enforcement Directorate.”

Arvind Kejriwal Live Updates: According to ED, the Kejriwal-led AAP received kickbacks to the tune of ₹100 crore to finalise the excise policy. It was also alleged that a large chunk of this money was used by the party in its Goa election campaign.

Arvind Kejriwal Live Updates: The Delhi government had come up with an excise policy in 2021-22 aiming to revitalise the city's flagging liquor business by replacing the sales-volume-based regime with a license fee for traders and promised swankier stores, free of the infamous metal grilles, ultimately giving customers a better buying experience. However, the policy was scrapped after Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena sought a CBI probe into the policy, alleging irregularities.

Arvind Kejriwal Live Updates: Kejriwal, in his written submissions, said the assertions of the ED are "palpably wrong, misleading and tantamount to subterfuge and misrepresentation".

"The repeated contention of the ED that it was not given a proper opportunity of hearing and/or all its contentions have not been dealt with warrant to be rejected at the outset. As stated, the order granting bail not only deals with all the relevant contentions of both the sides but also the reasons for grant of bail duly reflect a due and proper application of mind by the Learned Court on each and every aspect," he said.

Arvind Kejriwal Live Updates: The Supreme Court, which deferred hearing Kejriwal's plea on Monday, noted that the delay by the Delhi high court was “unsual”.

“In orders staying bail, judgment is not reserved but passed the same day.” But it deemed it “appropriate that the matter be put up day after tomorrow”.

“In the meantime, if the order of the HC is passed, the copy of the same shall be filed before this court,” it said.

Arvind Kejriwal Live Updates: Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in March in connection with the Delhi excise policy case. He was granted interim bail by the top court on May 10 to participate in the election campaigning and was directed to surrender by June 2. Following this, on June 20, the trial court granted him regular bail that was stayed by the HC on June 21, even before the bail order was out.

Arvind Kejriwal Live Updates: The Delhi high court is set to pronounce its verdict today on the Enforcement Directorate's plea seeking a stay on the trial court's order, which granted bail to chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in the excise policy case. The order is scheduled to be pronounced at 2:30 pm.