SC grants interim bail to Kejriwal in ED case, lower court extends JC till July 25 in CBI case

Refrains from directing Delhi CM to step down, leaving the decision to Kejriwal himself and suggests that the larger bench should consider whether an elected leader should step down from a Constitutional post

The Supreme Court on Friday granted interim bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in a money laundering case lodged by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the alleged excise policy scam. However, Kejriwal will remain in jail as he was also arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in a related matter. A court here extended the judicial custody of Kejriwal until July 25.

A bench comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta referred three critical questions on the "need and necessity of arrest" under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to a larger bench, preferably of five judges, for in-depth consideration.

Kejriwal was arrested by the CBI on June 26 in relation to the corruption case linked to the excise policy scam. The plea challenging his arrest by the CBI is pending before the Delhi High Court. The matter pertains to alleged corruption and money laundering in the formulation and execution of the Delhi government's excise policy for 2021-22, which has since been scrapped.

The Supreme Court, despite its findings on "reasons to believe" under section 19(1) of PMLA, which deals with ED's power to arrest, deemed it necessary to grant interim bail to Kejriwal due to the sacrosanct right to life and liberty.