Arvind Kejriwal News Highlights: SC defers order on plea against arrest, says CM cannot 'sign files if granted bail’

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The Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court on Tuesday extended the judicial custody of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and former Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi Manish Sisodia till May 15 in connection with a CBI case related to the Delhi Excise Policy case.

The court has set May 15 as the date for further arguments regarding the framing of charges against the accused in the case.

Delhi court extends BRS lawmaker K Kavitha's judicial custody till May 14 in money laundering case

Delhi BJP leaders and workers staged a protest near the Aam Aadmi Party headquarters at the DDU Marg here on Tuesday over the NIA probe recommended by Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena in the alleged funding received by the party from a banned terrorist organisation 'Sikhs For Justice'.

SC bench rises without pronouncing order on grant of interim bail to Arvind Kejriwal.

A Delhi court on Tuesday extended the judicial custody of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in a money-laundering case related to the alleged excise scam till May 20.

Special Judge for CBI and ED Kaveri Baweja extended Kejriwal's custody till May 20 after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader was produced before the court through a video-conference on the expiry of his custody granted earlier.

The judge also extended the judicial custody of co-accused Chanpreet Singh till May 20.

“Tentatively we will see if that matter finishes, we will give you a date for day after tomorrow. If it's not possible, we will keep it sometime in next week. Next week is going to be very difficult”, SC said.

Arvind Kejriwal tells SC that he won't sign files but Delhi LG should not reject decisions just because files not signed by me

Noting that court is not considering any special favours for Kejriwal, it said, we are not going by whether he is a politician or not a politician.. every individual involved will have a special circumstance or case involved.. we have to see if that person falls under that special circumstance considering elections are there. we are not saying there is a different law for others

ED replies saying, ‘The court is allowing the doors of contingencies just to let out this one person and the public prosecutor will not be able to argue ever if a kirana owner comes etc’

Delhi BJP workers and leaders protest against Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, at ITO in Delhi. Delhi BJP chief Virendraa Sachdeva is leading the protest.

Giving example of Goerge Fernandez, SC said he contested from jail but still won with  a big margin

SC: We have heard the parties on interim bail and we will lay down what to do. At 2 pm we will hear for half an hour. 2:30 we have to leave for a special bench.

Narrative is being built successfully that Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal has not done anything but was arrested just before polls: ED tells SC.

Singhvi. appearing for Kejriwal: I make a statement that I will not sign any file

 ED: he is not signing any file 
Singhvi: how can govt run without me signing a file. i am signing 10 files each day and see the transaction of business rules. i am making a statement that i will not sign any file.

If you perform official duties, then it will be conflict of interest and we don't want that,  SC directs Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal.

SC says suppose we grant interim bail on account of elections.. then if you say you will attend to the office then it may have cascading effect.. Dr Singhvi if we give any interim bail WE DO NOT WANT YOU TO BE PERFORMING OFFICIAL DUTIES AS SOMEWHERE IT WILL LEAD TO CONFLICT. We do not want interference at all in the working of the government. Let us see whether at all it should be given or not.

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal  later tells SC he will not deal with any excise policy scam related files, if granted interim bail.

On why Kejriwal evaded summons, Singhvi, appearing for Delhi CM,  said, I had replied to the first summon, and second time onwards we have replied saying I am available but I apprehend wrongful arrest.. and the judgment on me should be definitive on section 19 PMLA.

Supreme Court: If we reserve judgment, then it will have to be pronounced also. Again, if we decide allow the plea then this period of election campaigning will go. Thus we grant interim relief in extraordinary cases.

Soliciter General appearing for ED said: So is a common man and the period lapses.. 

Supreme Court: yes yes you are correct 

Soliciter General: CM of Delhi is only CM who does not hold the portfolio. he does not sign any file. even the prime minister signs files and this includes the ministries.

Arvind Kejriwal would not have been arrested had he cooperated in investigation, evaded nine summons: ED tells SC.

ED argues we are dealing with the CM of capital and he has evaded summons for 6 months. please do not make an exception as it would demoralise a real common man and it shows that if you are holding a position then you will get benefit. 

Justice Sanjiv Khanna replies see the name cropped up in feb , march 2023 and then nothing was done... you have to meet that argument also.

SC said Kejriwal says there cannot be differentiation with a common man, then summons were evade for 9 times, then comes allegations against his shows his involvement. 

Replying to it Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Kejriwal, said this court has spent some time to see that this man is not steeped in crime. he is not a habitual offender. Elections in Punjab are on first and Delhi on 25th. 

“SC earlier while granting bail has noted that it cannot gag a person to address political speeches etc.. the trial court gave conditions like do not campaign but sc reversed it. what chief ministers without portfolio.. there has been prime ministers without portfolio..are these constitutional arguments?”

Will hear arguments on interim bail to Arvind Kejriwal as he is elected leader, needs to campaign for LS polls, SC tells ED.

SC to ED: Please start arguing on the plea for interim bail from 12:30 PM. 

ED to SC: Give us more time. We want to argue on merits. 

SC to ED: If you want more time, we will consider interim bail… elections are around the corner. He is the CM. He wants to campaign. 

ED to SC: What example are we setting here ? Even an agriculturist will have to sow seeds. Will the SC give interim bail for sowing seeds ? How can an interim bail be granted for campaigning? 

SC to ED: Both are different. Here we wanted the case to be completed before summer vacations but now it seems it will take more time. General elections happen once in five years. He wants to campaign. We can decide on the interim bail

The court says, at 12:30 pm we will take the interim bail issue. we are only on interim bail. then argue till 1 pm for interim bail. the election is coming and he is the elected chief minister of delhi and this is an extraordinary case. he is not involved in any other case.

Court noted it was not examining the question of discharge but whether the person should be arrested or not. 

Replying to it, Raju said, requirement for discharge is also a presumption that he is guilty of offence.

Court asks for statements, on a piece of paper, which implicate Kejriwal.

Arvind Kejriwal stayed in 7-star hotel during 2022 Goa polls, part of bills paid by Delhi govt's general administration dept, ED to SC.

On when Kejriwal's name came up, ED said it was in the statement of Butchi Babu (formerly K Kavitha's Chartered Accountant) ... The statement of Butchi Babu was taken on February 23, 2023.

Once, the witness said that he met Kejriwal for a land deal but then we came to know it was all bogus and it was for the 100 crores, ED added

Replying to SC on why the case took so long, Raju, who is representing ED, said, ‘the investigating officer works as per his own speed.’

SC questions ED on time taken to probe Delhi excise policy scam case, says it has taken 2 years to unearth something.

For an investigating agency to take two years for this is not good, SC says.

The apex court also asked why relevant direct questions were not put to witnesses, accused in Delhi excise policy case.

The court also directed Raju to show them Delhi excise policy scam case files before Manish Sisodia was arrested and after Sisodia was arrested.

Raju pointed out Arvind Kejriwal was not the focus of the case when the investigations began, his name came up only as the probe progressed. 

A bench led by Justice Sanjiv Khanna is hearing the case. 

Additional Solicitor General (ASG) SV Raju, appearing for ED, produced a note on digital evidence citing that cash transactions for ₹100 crores transferred by hawala routes for spending in other states. 

Replying to it, Justice Khanna pointed out complaint is by ED and not CBI.

Justice Khanna also questioned ₹100 crore was proceeds of crime.. how did it become ₹1,100 cores in 2 or 3 years.. that will be a phenomenal rate of return! 

To this Raju cited 590 Crore is wholesale profit. 

SC starts hearing Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal's bail plea

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's wife Sunita on Sunday alleged he was jailed before the elections to "stifle" his voice as she urged people to vote against "dictatorship" when the national capital goes to polls later this month. 

Sunita held her third roadshow in the national capital in south Delhi in support of AAP candidate Sahiram Pahalwan on Sunday. 

The area was dotted with AAP flags and people stood on their balconies carrying messages that read 'I love Kejriwal', 'We miss you Kejriwal'.

The nomination process in Delhi for the Lok Sabha elections concluded on Monday, with 268 candidates filing their papers. 

According to data shared earlier, the Delhi poll body had said 269 candidates filed their papers. Filing of nominations began on April 29. 

Among the prominent candidates who filed their nominations on Monday were the Congress' North East Delhi nominee Kanhaiya Kumar and former AAP leader Raaj Kumar Anand, who joined the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and is contesting from the prestigious New Delhi seat.

Supreme Court to start the hearing of the plea by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal shortly

AAP on Monday intensified its campaign for the Lok Sabha elections and asserted that the INDIA bloc will complete a clean sweep of Delhi's seven seats. 

Senior leader Dilip Pandey said AAP has started using its campaign song "Jail Ka Jawab Vote Se" after it received approval from the Election Commission of India. He claimed in a press conference that the song was approved without any changes, alleging that the BJP wanted it to be banned. 

"We did not succumb to the BJP's pressure and the Election Commission gave official permission to our campaign song," he said. Pandey also took part in the "Play for Change" public outreach programme at Connaught Place on the issue of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's arrest.

SC told the Enforcement Directorate (ED) last week that arguments on Kejriwal's plea against his arrest are likely to take time and therefore it was considering hearing the probe agency on the issue of interim bail on account of the Lok Sabha elections in Delhi. Polling will be held in Delhi on May 25.

 "It appears we can't complete today. We will post it on Tuesday morning itself. Mr Raju, one more thing. If it is going to take time and it does appear to us that it may take some time, we will then consider the question of interim bail because of the elections," the bench had told Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, on Friday. 

Raju had said he would oppose bail to Kejriwal and pointed to the statements made by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sanjay Singh after getting bail last month in the same case. "Just look at the kind of statements he is making," the ASG said.

 The bench had said it is putting the agency on notice about the court's intention so that it is not taken by surprise on May 7, when the interim bail issue will be dealt with. "We are not commenting on it either way. We are just saying we will hear on interim bail and not saying we will grant interim bail. We may or may not grant interim bail," the top court had said.

SC to hear Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal's plea challenging his arrest in a money-laundering case stemming from the alleged excise policy scam.