SC To Hear Arvind Kejriwal's Pleas Against CBI Arrest On Wednesday

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan will hear Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal's pleas on Wednesday, including his bail plea in the CBI case stemming from the alleged excise policy scam.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday is scheduled to hear Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's plea against the Delhi High Court order upholding his arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation in connection with a corruption case stemming from the alleged excise policy scam. The apex court will also hear Kejriwal's separate bail plea in the case.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan will hear both the pleas of the Aam Aadmi Party chief.

On Monday, the Supreme Court had agreed to take up Kejriwal's plea after his advocate, Abhishek Singhvi, sought an urgent listing.

The plea was filed by Kejriwal after the Delhi High Court on August 5 upheld his arrest as legal, saying that there was no malice in CBI's acts that demonstrated how the AAP chief could influence witnesses who only appeared to depose after his arrest. He was asked by the high court to move the trial court for regular bail in the CBI case.

The high court had also noted that the loop of evidence against the Delhi CM closed after relevant evidence was collected following his arrest by the central probe agency. The court also stressed that it cannot be said that Kejriwal's arrest was illegal.

"The control and the influence which he has on the witnesses is prima facie borne out from the fact that these witnesses could muster the courage to be a witness only after the arrest of the petitioner," the special prosecutor highlighted.

"Also, it establishes that the loop of evidence against the petitioner got closed after the collection of relevant evidence after his arrest. No malice whatsoever can be gathered from the acts of the respondent (CBI)," the high court had said.

The high court had noted that the links to the crime reached even to Punjab, adding that the material witnesses were not appearing due to Kejriwal's influence by virtue of his position.

"It was only after he got arrested that the witnesses came forward to record their statements," the high court had said.

"It is a bounden duty of every court, more so the courts of first instance, to ensure that the extraordinary powers of arrest and remand are not misused or are resorted to by the police in a casual and cavalier manner," the high court had observed.

The Delhi CM was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on March 21. He was later granted bail on June 20 by the trial court in the money laundering case. However, the high court stayed trial court's order.

Last month on July 12, the Supreme Court granted Kejriwal an interim bail in the money laundering case.