Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal was not released despite being granted bail by a lower court. According to the order of the High Court, he will have to stay in Tihar jail for two to three more days.
Kejriwal was granted bail in the Excise (liquor) policy case in the lower court of Delhi on Thursday. But the Enforcement Directorate (ED) applied to stay the order for 48 hours. The judge did not accept the plea of ED. As a result, the ED approached the Delhi High Court on Friday morning.
Speaking for the ED in the High Court, Additional Solicitor General SV Raju said, the lower court granted bail without considering the documents they submitted in court opposing the bail.
SV Raju termed the order distorted and said that the order is full of mistakes. According to the lower court, there is no direct evidence against the accused, which is wrong. Evidence submitted. But it was ordered regardless.
Kejriwal’s lawyers countered that so much time has passed and the state has not been able to file any evidence of illegal financial transactions against the chief minister.
The ED also sought a stay on the lower court’s order in the Delhi High Court. But a vacation bench of Justice Sudhir Kumar Jain and Justice Ravindra Dudeja said without stay, Kejriwal will not be released till the hearing is over.
That hearing began this morning. After a long hearing, the bench said that they will give their final opinion in the next two-three days. That is till then Kejriwal has to stay in Tihar Jail.
Kejriwal was supposed to get bail today on a bond of Rs 1 lakh as directed by the lower court. Accordingly, the top leadership of the Aam Aadmi Party organized various programs including a procession with him after his release.
Kejriwal’s wife Sunita today alleged that her husband was being treated like a terrorist.