New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has received the necessary sanction to prosecute Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in connection with the Delhi Excise Policy case. The agency has filed a supplementary charge sheet against Kejriwal in the Rouse Avenue court.
The Supreme Court has postponed the hearing on Kejriwal’s bail plea and his challenge to the Delhi High Court’s decision supporting his arrest. The new hearing date is set for September 5.
The Supreme Court bench, led by Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan, granted the CBI an additional week to file a reply on one of the petitions. Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, representing the CBI, requested time to submit an affidavit, which has already been filed in another petition.
Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Kejriwal, accused the CBI of deliberately delaying the affidavit’s submission to prevent it from reaching the bench in a timely manner.
The CBI’s affidavit claims that Kejriwal is using the case for political gain and alleges his involvement in a criminal conspiracy related to the formulation and implementation of the Delhi excise policy. On August 5, the Delhi High Court upheld the legality of Kejriwal’s arrest, dismissing his plea and stating that the CBI’s actions were based on substantial evidence collected after obtaining sanction in April 2024.
Kejriwal was first arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 21, 2024, over allegations of money laundering linked to irregularities in the now-cancelled Delhi excise policy for 2021-22. On June 26, 2024, he was arrested by the CBI while already in ED custody.
