In a dramatic turn of events, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inside the Rouse Avenue Court in connection with the alleged liquor policy case. Within the same hour, Kejriwal withdrew a Supreme Court petition challenging a stay on the grant of bail following his arrest in March by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the same case.
The petition was withdrawn without objection from the ED, citing a desire to launch a more substantial appeal against the High Court’s decision to stay the Rouse Avenue Court’s bail order.
In the Rouse Avenue Court this morning, Kejriwal’s lawyers argued that the CBI’s decision to arrest the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader demonstrated bias. Senior Advocate Vikram Chaudhari highlighted that Kejriwal had already been interrogated for nine hours in April last year as a witness in the case.
“It is a poor citizen vs the might of the State. This case has been pending since August 2022. I was called as a witness… I appeared and, for nine hours, I assisted. Not a single notice (from the CBI) since then. How did they shift from a witness to an accused… it is a long distance to cover,” argued Mr. Chaudhari.
Kejriwal also requested the court to defer the hearing by 24 hours to allow him time to study the CBI’s case against him.