Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has been granted bail in the high-profile liquor policy case. Kejriwal’s lawyer argued in court that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had no substantial evidence against him. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief is expected to be released from jail tomorrow, pending the arrival of the bail order.
Kejriwal’s legal team contended that the ED’s case relied heavily on statements made by individuals who had turned approvers. These statements, according to the lawyer, came from people who had confessed to their own guilt and were not credible sources.
The Delhi court dismissed the ED’s request to delay the bail bond by 48 hours to allow time for an appeal. Kejriwal’s lawyer criticised the reliability of the statements used by the prosecution, noting, “The statements are of those people who have confessed to being guilty. They are not saints here. They are those who are not only tainted, but it appears that some who were arrested were given a promise of bail, and promise of being granted pardon. Approvers. And there is another category who have not been arrested.”
Further, the lawyer challenged the ED’s narrative, stating, “Circumstances have to be so intrinsically linked (as to) lead to the guilt. These statements by tainted persons discredit the case of prosecution. There is no evidence that ₹100 crore came from ‘South Group’. These are all statements. There is no evidence.” The ‘South Group’ refers to a lobby from Telangana that allegedly conspired to secure liquor licences in Delhi.
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Kejriwal was arrested by the ED on March 21, accused of money laundering in connection with the Delhi liquor policy for 2021-22, which was later withdrawn after objections from the Lieutenant Governor. The ED has claimed that funds obtained from liquor vendors were used to support the AAP’s campaign in Goa, implicating Kejriwal in his capacity as the party’s convenor.
Throughout the investigation, Kejriwal and the AAP have consistently argued that the central government has been misusing its agencies to target opposition leaders with baseless allegations.
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