CBI Given Green Light to Prosecute Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi Excise Policy Case

The CBI has secured permission to prosecute Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal in the Delhi Excise Policy case and filed a supplementary charge sheet. The Supreme Court has deferred the hearing on his bail plea to September 5, granting CBI more time to respond.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has secured the necessary clearance to prosecute Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in connection with the Delhi Excise Policy case. This approval has been submitted to the Rouse Avenue court, and the CBI has lodged a supplementary charge sheet against Kejriwal.

The Supreme Court has delayed the hearing on Kejriwal's bail plea and his challenge to the Delhi High Court's ruling in favor of his arrest over the alleged excise policy scam. The next hearing is scheduled for September 5. Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan granted the CBI an additional week to respond to one of the petitions.

Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, representing the CBI, requested more time to file one of the affidavits and noted an affidavit had already been submitted in the other petition. Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Kejriwal, argued that the affidavit was intentionally filed late Thursday night to prevent it from reaching the bench in a timely manner.

In its affidavit, the CBI accused Kejriwal of politically sensationalizing the case and participating in a criminal conspiracy concerning the Delhi excise policy. On August 5, the Delhi High Court upheld Kejriwal's arrest as legal, stating that the CBI proceeded only after collecting sufficient evidence and obtaining sanction in April 2024.

Kejriwal was initially arrested by the ED on March 21, 2024, in a money laundering investigation related to alleged irregularities in the scrapped Delhi Excise Policy for 2021-22. Subsequently, the CBI took him into custody on June 26, 2024, during his detention by the ED. (ANI)

(With inputs from agencies.)