NEW DELHI, June 20: The Delhi Rouse Avenue Curt on Thursday granted bail to the Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in a money laundering case linked to a now-scrapped excise policy.
“Accused is admitted to bail in the sum of ₹1 lakh,” Special Judge Niyay Bindu said.
The Enforcement Directorate requested the court to grant the probe agency 48 hours to accept bail bonds so that order can be challenged in the higher court. The Special Judge, however, clarified that there was no stay on the bail order. The court said the counsel of Arvind Kejriwal can apply for bail bond tomorrow before the concerned judge.
Judge Bindu had reserved the order earlier today after hearing the matter for two days. During the hearing, the central financial crime-fighting agency had sought to link Arvind Kejriwal to the alleged proceeds of crime and co-accused, while the defence had claimed the prosecution has no evidence to nail the AAP leader.
Mr Kejriwal’s lawyer had argued the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had no evidence against him. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief is likely to come out of jail tomorrow, as the bail order has to reach the jail first.
His lawyer told the Delhi court that the ED’s entire case against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief rests on statements given by those who turned approver in the case.
“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,” Mr Kejriwal’s lawyer had said earlier today, after which the court had reserved its order, only to announce the bail around 8 pm.
“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 Chief Minister’s lawyer said, referring to what the ED calls the ‘South Group’, a lobby from Telangana that allegedly conspired to grab liquor licences in the national capital.
The ED submitted that on November 7, 2021, during the assembly poll campaign in Goa, Kejriwal stayed at the Grand Hyatt hotel, with the bill paid by Chanpreet Singh, who is alleged to have managed the AAP funds in the coastal state.
“₹1 lakh was paid in two instalments (to the hotel). It was paid by Chanpreet Singh (co-accused) from his bank account. Chanpreet is the person who received ₹45 crore from different ‘Angadiyas’ (couriers),” the ED told the court.
The Angadia system is an informal financial network in India, primarily used for swift transfer of money and valuable items such as jewelry and diamonds, particularly in the business and trade sectors. It is generally in prevalence in the jewellery business in Mumbai and Gujarat.
Arvind Kejriwal was arrested on March 21, less than three weeks before the country was heading for the parliamentary elections. On May 10, the Supreme Court granted interim bail to the AAP national convener till June 1 for campaigning in the Lok Sabha elections.
The Aam Aadmi Party launched an aggressive ‘Jail ka Jawab Vote Se’ campaign during the elections and Kejriwal, who was out on an interim bail, repeatedly claimed in his rallies and roadshows that he won’t have to stay in jail if the opposition INDIA bloc comes to power.
(Manas Dasgupta)
