Arvind Kejriwal Bail Hearing Today Live Updates: Supreme Court reserves order on Kejriwal's pleas challenging arrest by CBI

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had a "preconceived" plan to privatise liquor business in the national capital and his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) benefited from illicit funds it raised through the excise policy "scam", the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has alleged before a special court here. The CBI made the allegations before Special Judge Kaveri Baweja in its supplementary charge sheet filed against Kejriwal in the case recently.

The court took cognisance of the charge sheet against Kejriwal, AAP MLA Durgesh Pathak and others on September 3.

According to sources, the CBI alleged that Kejriwal, who was the overall in-charge of the party as its national convenor, was behind the criminal conspiracy to generate illicit funds.

Excise policy case: If SC grants bail to Arvind Kejriwal, it will demoralise Delhi High Court, says ASG S V Raju

A bail matter has consumed the whole day: SC

ASG: Several individuals in Goa are also implicated in this matter. This is not a case where leniency should be shown. The individual did not seek relief from the trial court, and the exception to directly approach the High Court or Supreme Court should not apply here.

The ASG claims there is a Punjab connection to the Delhi excise policy, stating that distilleries faced pressure and were blocked from restocking unless bribes were paid. A distillery owner, referred to as 'Mahadev,' was allegedly told that the issue "lies in Delhi" when he sought clarification on why he couldn’t reopen his business, the ASG informed the court.

CBI Lawyer: When we issued a 41A notice for questioning, there was no intention to arrest initially. However, we later realized that we had the right to arrest. Even someone who receives the notice isn't completely protected from arrest. If there are justifiable reasons and they are documented, the person can still be taken into custody.

The ASG reads witness statements indicating that Arvind Kejriwal was the "key conspirator" in the Delhi excise policy case.

ASG: If everyone were permitted to go directly to the high court for bail, the sessions court would become redundant, as people would bypass it and head straight to the High Court. This would overwhelm the high court and undermine the purpose of Section 439 of the CrPC, which is to provide a structured process for bail applications

CBI Lawyer: Arvind Kejriwal first approached this court, then the high court and subsequently came to the Supreme Court, where the matter was ultimately decided.

Arvind Kejriwal is a constitutional functionary, not a flight risk: Abhishek Singhvi tells SC while seeking bail for Delhi CM

CBI lawyer: The Supreme Court has frequently stated that it cannot intervene and that matters should be taken up with the trial court first. It is unfair to consider just one paragraph without reviewing the full context. My lords should not be the first instance; there is a proper judicial hierarchy to follow.

All other co-accused in the same case—Vijay Nair, Manish Sisodia, Butchi Babu, Sanjay Singh, and others—have been released.

The CBI’s own statement indicates that their last witness was in January 2024. Kejriwal was arrested by the ED in March and both the Supreme Court and the trial court have ordered my release. Why is there a need for further arrest? Has anything changed in the past three months?

He was deemed eligible for release by the Supreme Court on two separate occasions.

Kejriwal counsel: Section 41A of the CrPC was introduced in 2010 to regulate arrests. It was intended to prevent arbitrary arrests, ensuring that law enforcement cannot simply barge in and arrest someone without a valid basis.

Arvind Kejriwal' situation is a unique case. Both the Supreme Court and a trial court have issued orders affirming that Delhi CM is eligible for bail

The statements the CBI relies on are from January, yet we are now in June. A case that initially involved non-arrest under Section 41A has now been escalated to an arrest case.

Kejriwal counsel: There is no new evidence. Only statement by Ragahv Magunta in January

Arvind Kejriwal counsel: He was arrested by ED in march, not CBI.

Kejriwal counsel: He clearly poses no threat in the PMLA case. Currently, only the triple test applies, and the next step is regular bail from the trial court under Section 45 of the PMLA. The High Court had stayed this order following an oral request.

Senior Advocate AM Singhvi represents Kejriwal, while Additional Solicitor General (ASG) SV Raju is appearing on behalf of the CBI.

"It’s a matter of days only now. We miss him (Arvind Kejriwal) a lot. We hope he will come back soon. He is our leader and sometimes we feel that we can't take his suggestions on any important topic. We are here to execute his vision. Like, we couldn’t do cabinet meeting today. However, we didn’t want any delay in this (Delhi Metro new corridor) project so, we have given inprinciple convey for now. As soon as he will come, we will take the approval," says Delhi Minister Kailash

The CBI has accused Arvind Kejriwal of having a premeditated plan to privatize the Excise Policy and seeking financial backing for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in March 2021, while the policy was being drafted by the Group of Ministers (GoM) led by co-accused Manish Sisodia. Additionally, Kejriwal's close aide, Vijay Nair, who oversees AAP's Media and Communication, allegedly reached out to various stakeholders in Delhi's excise business, demanding bribes in exchange for favorable changes to the policy.

Supreme Court to hear Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's petitions challenging the legality of his arrest by the CBI and his request for bail in the Delhi excise policy case shortly.

The CBI has revealed that both oral and documentary evidence indicate that Durgesh Pathak, the AAP leader in charge of the party's Goa Assembly Election expenses, managed the election finances.

The evidence also shows that Chanpreet Singh Rayat handled illicit funds through hawala channels in Goa, using this money for cash payments to vendors, Assembly Managers, Booth In-Charges, and Volunteers working for AAP. Rayat acted under Pathak's instructions, managing the illegal funds as directed.

The evidence confirms that Pathak, overseeing election expenditures, was aware of both the amount and source of the money being used.

The CBI has also accused the Aam Aadmi Party of providing a misleading statement regarding its election expenses for the 2022 Goa Assembly Elections. The agency claims that while AAP's report includes payments made via bank transactions, it omits significant cash payments to vendors, Assembly Managers, Booth In-Charges, and volunteers who worked during the 2021-22 Goa elections.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) profited from illicit funds generated through a criminal conspiracy linked to the Excise Policy case. As AAP's National Convenor and Overall In-Charge, Arvind Kejriwal is held accountable for this by the CBI.

In its supplementary charge sheet, the CBI stated that its investigation uncovered Kejriwal's involvement in the criminal conspiracy surrounding the creation and implementation of Delhi's Excise Policy from the very beginning.

The policy was revoked after Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena requested a CBI investigation, citing alleged irregularities. According to the ED, Arvind Kejriwal's AAP reportedly received ₹100 crore in kickbacks to finalize the excise policy.

Earlier this week, the Supreme Court granted bail to Vijay Nair, the AAP’s communication in-charge at the time of his arrest, and Bibhav Kumar, an aide to chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. This decision came nearly a month after former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia was released from jail.

In 2021-22, the Delhi government launched an excise policy designed to rejuvenate the city's struggling liquor industry. The policy replaced the volume-based sales system with a license fee model for traders and promised modern, grille-free stores to improve the customer experience.

Kejriwal has submitted two separate petitions: one challenging the denial of bail and the other contesting his arrest by the CBI. He is also appealing the August 5 Delhi High Court order that upheld his arrest.

Kejriwal was arrested by CBI on June 26.

The Supreme Court is set to hear Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's bail plea and challenge to his arrest by the CBI in connection with the alleged excise policy scam today.

As per the cause list, the case will likely be heard by a bench comprising Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan. Earlier, on August 23, the court permitted the CBI to file its counter affidavit and gave Kejriwal two days to submit a rejoinder.

A Delhi court on Tuesday summoned chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and five other accused after taking cognizance of the CBI’s fourth supplementary chargesheet in the excise policy case. Special Judge Kaveri Baweja stated that there was enough evidence to proceed against Kejriwal and the others.

The court ordered the CM to appear via video conferencing on September 11 and extended his judicial custody until that date.

In its fourth supplementary chargesheet filed on July 29, the CBI named Arvind Kejriwal, AAP MLA Durgesh Pathak, Amit Arora, Vinod Chauhan, Ashish Mathur, and P Sarath Reddy as accused in the excise policy case. The CBI alleged that Kejriwal was a key conspirator and had maintained contact with the South Group, which includes Reddy, K Kavitha, Raghav Magunta, Benoy Babu, Arun Pillai, and Butchibabu Gorantla.

The Delhi high court on Wednesday upheld the Tihar Jail authorities' decision to deny visitation rights to AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak for meeting chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.

The court noted that jail officials acted because there was "not an iota of doubt" that Pathak’s statements following his April meeting with Kejriwal were "political, made on behalf of Arvind Kejriwal," violating prison regulations. The court further observed that the statements clearly showed they were political in nature, made on behalf of Kejriwal, who, as the Chief Minister of Delhi, remains in jail and cannot personally address the public or make such statements.