Delhi high court seeks CBI’s response on Arvind Kejriwal’s plea against arrest

Delhi High Court scheduled a hearing for July 17. On Tuesday, the court requested a response from the Central Bureau of Investigation regarding Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s petition against his potential arrest by the agency. The matter will be heard on July 17.

He told the court that the CBI filed the FIR in August 2022 but only summoned him in April 2023, questioning him for nine hours. Since then, no further action has been taken, but they have now arrested him based on the 2022 FIR. Abhishek Manu Singhvi argued that the arrest memo should clearly state the reasons and grounds for such an action. He emphasized that the basis for arrest should be if the individual is a terrorist or a flight risk. He also noted that the arrest was unnecessary as the individual was already under judicial custody in the excise policy case.

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High Court Demands CBI’s Response on Kejriwal’s Arrest

He remarked that the arrest memo is notably brief, consisting of just one paragraph and four lines. Justice Neena Bansal Krishna’s high court bench issued a notice to the CBI, requesting their response. The court stated, “Issue notice. The court accepted the notice on behalf of the CBI and instructed the agency to file a detailed reply within seven days and to file any rejoinder within two days before postponing the hearing. The CBI arrested Arvind Kejriwal on June 26 after receiving permission from a Delhi court to question him in the courtroom. At the time, he was already under judicial custody due to the Enforcement Directorate’s investigation into the Delhi excise policy case.

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Timeline of Kejriwal’s Arrest and Bail

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Kejriwal on March 21. In May, the Supreme Court granted him interim bail for 21 days due to the Lok Sabha elections, and he returned to Tihar Jail on June 2. Last month, a Delhi court granted him bail in the excise policy case, but the Delhi High Court stayed this order. On June 29, a city court remanded the AAP chief to 14 days in judicial custody.

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