Big setback for Arvind Kejriwal as Delhi High Court pauses bail order

A setback for Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the Delhi High Court has paused his bail order in a corruption case related to the Delhi Liquor Policy until a hearing on the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) petition. Kejriwal, who was arrested by the ED on March 21 over money laundering allegations while framing the Delhi liquor policy, was scheduled to be released from Tihar Jail today.

The ED filed a petition challenging the trial court's bail order just hours before Kejriwal was to leave Tihar jail. The petition was presented for an urgent hearing before a bench comprising Justices Sudhir Kumar Jain and Ravinder Dudeja. The high court ruled that the trial court's bail order would not be acted upon until it had heard the ED's petition.

Yesterday, a Delhi court had granted bail to Kejriwal on a personal bond of ₹1 lakh, with conditions that he would not hamper the investigation or influence witnesses. The court accepted Kejriwal's argument that the ED had not presented sufficient evidence since his arrest on March 21. Despite multiple rounds in trial courts and repeated denials of bail, this recent development delays his release further.

Kejriwal's wife, Sunita Kejriwal, and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders had planned to visit Tihar Jail at 4 pm today to greet him. Meanwhile, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has continued to call for Kejriwal's resignation, although he has not stepped down as Delhi Chief Minister.