New Delhi, June 26 (Representative) Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday withdrew from the Supreme Court his petition challenging the Delhi High Court’s June 21 decision to put brakes on the trial court’s order granting him bail in an alleged money laundering case connected to the Delhi liquor policy. Senior Advocate Dr Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing on behalf of Kejriwal, informed a Vacation Bench comprising Justice Manoj Misra and Justice SVN Bhatti that the High Court had already passed the final order on the Enforcement Director’s stay application against the grant of bail to the AAP leader. He said Kejriwal will now file a fresh petition challenging HC’s June 25 and June 21 orders that put curbs on the operation of trial court’s bail order. Singhvi also informed the Apex Court that the CBI had arrested Kejriwal earlier in the day. Earlier, the arrest was made by the Enforcement Directorate. The Vacation Bench dismissed the present application as withdrawn and granted liberty to Kejriwal to file a fresh petition. The case pertains to Kejriwal’s arrest by the ED on March 21. In May, the Supreme Court granted him interim bail until June 1 for campaigning in the general elections. He surrendered on June 2.Kejriwal later moved trial court, seeking regular bail. On June 20, Vacation Judge Niyay Bindu of Rouse Avenue Court granted him bail, holding that the ED had not shown any direct evidence regarding the proceeds of the crime.The next day, June 21, the ED filed an urgent petition in the High Court challenging the bail order.
A single judge of the High Court heard the matter the same day. After hearing both sides extensively, the single bench reserved orders on the ED’s application to stay the bail order. The High Court directed that, until the pronouncement of its order, the implementation of the bail order would be stayed.Kejriwal then moved the Supreme Court challenging the action of the High Court to reconsider the bail granted by the session’s court. Singhvi had challenged that the High Court did not have the jurisdiction to hear the plea of ED challenging the bail. The Supreme Court deferred Kejriwal’s plea, saying that they would wait for the High Court to pass an order and take up the matter next on Wednesday. The High Court pronounced its order on Tuesday and stayed the special judge’s order granting bail. The high court said that the vacation judge failed to discuss the requirement of Section 45 of PMLA while passing the bail order. The High Court added that the trial court’s Vacation Judge failed to discuss the requirement of section 45 of PMLA while passing the bail order.