ED Terms Kejriwal's Bail 'Perverse' Amidst Money Laundering Probe

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has called the trial court's order granting bail to Arvind Kejriwal 'perverse,' claiming it ignored significant material indicating his involvement in a money laundering case linked to an alleged excise scam. The court order is now under interim stay pending a high court decision.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) argued before the Delhi High Court on Monday that the trial court's decision to grant bail to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was 'perverse,' as it overlooked substantial evidence of his involvement in money laundering tied to an alleged excise scam.

In a written note, ED contended that the trial court's order suffered from a 'jurisdictional defect' as it was not provided adequate opportunity to present its case. They emphasized that the order did not satisfy the criteria under Section 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), which requires reasonable grounds to believe that the accused is not guilty of such an offense.

The high court has placed an interim stay on the bail order, with the final decision pending. The ED insists the trial judge made a 'fundamental jurisdictional error' and failed to consider key evidence demonstrating Kejriwal's alleged involvement in the money laundering scheme.

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