Kejriwal’s Interim Bail Plea: SC To Hear Arguments Due To Lok Sabha Elections On May 7

The Supreme Court told the Enforcement Directorate on Friday that it would consider hearing arguments on Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's interim bail plea in the excise policy-related money laundering case during the Lok Sabha elections in Delhi. A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta told Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, who was representing the ED, that the hearing on Kejriwal's plea against arrest was likely to take time, so the court was considering hearing the probe agency on interim bail for him.

Raju said that he will oppose Kejriwal's interim bail application. "We say we'll hear about interim bail, not that we'll grant it. "We may or may not grant interim bail," the bench stated.

The Supreme Court ordered Raju to appear prepared for arguments on the interim bail plea on May 7. The bench is hearing Kejriwal's appeal against his arrest by the ED. The Delhi chief minister is currently in Tihar Jail in judicial custody following his arrest on March 21.

On April 15, the Supreme Court issued a notice to the ED requesting a response to Kejriwal's plea. On April 9, the high court upheld Kejriwal's arrest, ruling that there was no illegality and that the ED was left with "little option" after he ignored repeated summonses and refused to cooperate with the investigation.

The case involves alleged corruption and money laundering in the development and implementation of the Delhi government's now-scrapped excise policy for 2021-22.