The Supreme Court seeks detail response from CBI on the plea challenging Kejriwal’s arrestThe Supreme Court on August 14, refused to grant any interim relief to Kejriwal and issued notice to the CBI seeking its detailed response by August 23 on his plea challenging his arrest by the CBI.On the last hearing, Kejriwal’s counsel and senior lawyer, Abhishek Manu Singhvi said that the CM’s arrest by CBI in June was an “insurance arrest” as it was effected at a time when he was on the cusp of getting bail in the more stringent ED case under PMLA. Singhvi desperately pleaded to the apex court for an interim bail on health grounds, but the apex court had declined it.The lawyer said that this is a strange situation. Three orders of release/bail under PMLA and a rejection of bail in a case not even dealing with section 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). There are three orders, one in May, June and then a regular bail by the trial court in the ED case which was later stayed. Then the CBI investigated and interrogated me one year ago.Narrating the case details, he said that when then SC on July 12 passed a detailed judgment and then this arrest was made by the CBI which was an “Insurance arrest.”It is pertinent to note here that Kejriwal was already being granted bail by the top court on July 12, in the same case, being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). He was arrested by the CBI on June 26 in the case.Kejriwal in his plea had termed his “arrest by the CBI as illegal” and sought quashing of it.The apex court in its verdict on July 12, released him on interim bail in the Delhi excise case said that Kejriwal had suffered incarceration for more than 90 days and said that he was an elected representative while granting him interim bail.However, on August 5, the Delhi High Court upheld the arrest of Chief Minister Kejriwal by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the alleged excise policy scam. This decision came as a severe blow to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader’s efforts to challenge the arrest.Justice Neena Bansal Krishna, presiding over the case, dismissed Kejriwal’s plea stating that it was conducted with justifiable reason. The court also advised him to seek relief from the trial court. The HC had reserved its verdict on July 17 regarding Kejriwal’s challenge to his arrest by the CBI. On July 29 regarding his bail plea after hearing arguments from both Kejriwal’s counsel and the central agency. The court also observed that the argument of the Special Public Prosecutor has merit. While dismissing the bail plea, the court in its order said that It may also be noted that when the bail application was filed before this Court, the charge sheet had not been filed. However, in the changed circumstances, when the charge-sheet has got filed before the learned Special Judge, it would be in the benefit of the petitioner, to first approach the Court of Sessions Judge,” the order read.
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