Bail to Arvind Kejriwal will demoralise High Court: CBI argument in Supreme Court

Granting bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is under arrest in a liquor policy case, would demoralise the Delhi High Court.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) told the Supreme Court on Thursday. The statement was made by the CBI’s lawyer, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) SV Raju, who was arguing in opposition to pleas filed by Kejriwal seeking bail and challenging his arrest in the Delhi liquor policy case.

“Today if bail is granted, then it will demoralise the High Court,” Raju stated during the hearing of Kejriwal’s petitions challenging his arrest by CBI and seeking bail. The Delhi High Court had earlier refused to grant Kejriwal relief in the matter.

Taken aback by Raju’s argument, one of the justices on the two-judge bench, Justice Ujjal Bhuyan said, “Do not say all that. Do not say that. It cannot be a submission of any lawyer.” Justice Surya Kant, the other judge, stated that while pronouncing the verdict in the case, the court will ensure that “nothing like that happens.”.

In response, Raju stated, “I made this submission because the High Court has not considered this on merits.”

Explaining his argument, Raju questioned whether Kejriwal could request bail without submitting a copy of the chargesheet which details his role in the case. “He cannot,” Raju stated, adding “that this is a crucial ground. It cannot be overlooked. The chargesheet provides a detailed account of his involvement.”

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief was arrested by the CBI on June 26, just days before the Supreme Court granted him interim bail in an Enforcement Directorate (ED) case also related to the Delhi liquor policy.

In an unusual move, Kejriwal bypassed the trial court and directly approached the High Court for bail, also seeking to have his CBI arrest quashed. While the High Court upheld his CBI arrest, it did not address his bail plea and instead directed him to first seek relief from the trial court.

This led to Kejriwal approaching the Supreme Court seeking bail and challenging his arrest by the CBI. The Supreme Court reserved its verdict in the matter on Thursday.