Kejriwal to HC: Victim of witch-hunt, falsely implicated in motivated case

‘BAIL ORDER CAN’T BE SET ASIDE MERELY ON PROSECUTION’S IMAGINATION’

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has contended before the Delhi High Court that he is a victim of “witchhunt” by the ED and that cancellation of his bail granted by a trial court in the excise policylinked money laundering case would tantamount to “grave miscarriage of justice”.

Opposing the Enforcement Directorate’s plea challenging his bail in the case, the embattled chief minister said discretionary orders of bail cannot be set aside merely on “perceptions and fanciful imagination” of the prosecution.

“The order passed by the special judge granting bail was not only well reasoned but prima facie showed a due application of mind in considering as well as faithfully recording and dealing with ‘relevant arguments and contentions raised on behalf of both the parties’.

“Therefore, to cancel the order would tantamount to grave miscarriage of justice,” Kejriwal said in his reply filed to the ED’s petition. The Aam Aadmi Party national convener urged the high court to dismiss ED’s petition and to vacate the June 25 interim order by which the trial court’s June 20 decision granting him bail was stayed.

On Wednesday, Justice Neena Bansal Krishna, who was scheduled to hear the ED’s plea, was informed by the counsel for the probe agency that they were served with Kejriwal’s reply to their petition only late Tuesday night and the agency required some time to file a rejoinder.