New Delhi:

Granting bail to Arvind Kejriwal will not “demoralise” the Delhi High Court, which last month refused the Chief Minister relief over his arrest by the CBI in the alleged liquor policy scam, the Supreme Court said Thursday. A bench of Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice Surya Kant waved away the federal agency’s argument against releasing the AAP leader, saying, “Don’t say that.”

Appearing for the CBI, Additional Solicitor General SV Raju also argued that Mr Kejriwal had incorrectly bypassed the lower court – i.e., Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court – and approached the High Court for bail.

“He approached High Court without going to Sessions Court… on merits, trial court could have seen it first. High Court can only see in exceptional cases…” he said, declaring releasing Mr Kejriwal now would demotivate the High Court.

The CBI’s logic also drew a sarcastic swipe from AAP MP Raghav Chadha, who posted on X, “If the Sun rises from the East, it will demoralise the West.”

In early August the High Court rejected Mr Kejriwal’s bail plea, directing him to approach the sessions court for relief. The AAP, however, opted to move the country’s top court, citing its observation in the release of ex Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, that “sending the appellant back to the trial court would be like playing a game of snakes and ladders…”

After Thursday’s hearing the top court reserved its verdict on Mr Kejriwal’s bail plea. The court also reserved its verdict on a separate plea challenging the CBI’s arrest of the Chief Minister.

The AAP chief was arrested by the CBI in June; he was taken into custody at the Rouse Avenue Court shortly after securing bail for his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in the same case.

READ | “Insurance Arrest By CBI”, Kejriwal Argues For Bail In Supreme Court

Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for Mr Kejriwal, criticised the CBI’s arrest as an “insurance” to keep the AAP leader in jail for as long as possible, particularly with the Delhi Assembly election due early next year. Mr Singhvi pointed out Arvind Kejriwal had received bail in the ED case, which meant he had fully satisfied the ‘triple test’ legal principle for release.

READ | “Travesty Of Justice”: Manish Sisodia Gets Bail, Supreme Court Slams Delay

It was also pointed out that all others accused in the alleged liquor policy scam – Mr Sisodia and AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, as well as Bharat Rashtra Samithi leader K Kavitha – had bail.

READ | ‘Just Because Woman Is Educated…’: Top Court As K Kavitha Gets Bail

“Prolonged incarceration cannot be there…” Mr Singhvi said, referring to statements by the top court in releasing Mr Sisodia, “Is ‘triple test’ satisfied? Yes… in the Manish Sisodia judgment, the court held that in this particular case of excise policy, trial is impossible to finish.”

Mr Kejriwal has been in jail since late-March. He received temporary reprieve in June, before Delhi voted in the general election, but had to return to Tihar Jail after the results were out.

The ED and CBI contend Arvind Kejriwal played a key role in forming of a new liquor excise policy for Delhi, which allowed him to sell wholesale licences and get kickbacks, around Rs 100 crore of which, the authorities claim, came from a ‘South group’ led by the BRS’ K Kavitha.

This money, the agencies allege, was used to fund the AAP’s election expenses in Goa.

Mr Kejriwal, the AAP, and other accused have denied the charge, counter-accusing rivals Bharatiya Janata Party, to whose government at the centre the agencies answer, of mounting a campaign against opposition politicians and parties, particularly before elections.

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New Delhi:

The Aam Aadmi Party on Sunday alleged that there was an “acute” danger to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s health in judicial custody.

Addressing a press conference here, Delhi cabinet minister Atishi said Kejriwal, who is a severe diabetic, has had his sugar levels falling dangerously low.

“The BJP has conspired to put Kejriwal in jail in a fake case. There is an acute danger to his health. His weight has declined by 8.5 kgs and his sugar levels have fallen below 50 five times in sleep. This is a worrying situation especially for a diabetic,” she said.

“If Kejriwal suffers a stroke, if there is brain damage and permanent damage, who will be responsible,” she said, claiming the AAP chief is unable to get proper medical attention as he is in jail.

When the minister was asked whether they would approach court over the matter, she said they are consulting their lawyers and doctors over the issue.

“The BJP should know that if anything happens to Arvind Kejriwal, not just the country but God will also not forgive them,” Atishi said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The Supreme Court on Monday refused Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal immediate relief in his battle to overturn the High Court’s interim stay on a bail order issued last week by a lower court.

The court responded to Mr Kejriwal’s arguments – the High Court erred in staying bail without first perusing the order, and rationale, of the lower court – by saying it would wait till the said order came on record, and the High Court had a chance to re-examine the stay – before acting on the matter.

The court has fixed Wednesday as the next hearing date; the High Court is expected to deliver its full verdict on Tuesday. “It is not proper to interfere when the High Court has reserved its judgement,” the Supreme Court said, “We will keep this petition for hearing for day after tomorrow.”

This was after Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Enforcement Directorate – which arrested Mr Kejriwal in the liquor policy case March and has opposed bail and medical relief claimed by the Chief Minister – said the High Court is likely to render its verdict within 24 hours.

Earlier, as the day’s (brief) hearing began, Mr Kejriwal’s lawyers argued that the “balance of convenience” is in the Chief Minister’s favour, reasoning there is no substantial reason for the AAP leader to stay in jail. “If bail is reversed, he will certainly go back to jail… as he did after the Supreme Court’s interim release (to campaign for the election),” senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi said.

He was referring to Mr Kejriwal’s release last month – allowed by the top court – to campaign for his party and the Congress-led INDIA bloc in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BJP was pegged back and forced to rely on its allies to form the government.

Mr Singhvi also referred to the top court’s order granting Mr Kejriwal that interim bail, in which it acknowledged the Delhi Chief Minister is not a “habitual offender” or a “flight risk”.

“Why can’t I be free in the interim? I have a judgment in my favour…” he continued, responding to the court suggesting the Chief Minister be patient for 24-48 hours till the High Court reads its order.

“If we pass order now, we will prejudge the issue. This is not a subordinate court…” he was told.

New Delhi:

A fresh chapter was written Wednesday in the persistent and bitter row between Delhi Lt Governor VK Saxena and the ruling AAP, after the former suspended and urged disciplinary proceedings against a senior member of Health Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj’s office. Dr RN Das, an Officer on Special Duty, has been called out over alleged “misconduct with regard to (an) unauthorised and illegal” nursing home.

Mr Saxena has claimed Dr Das – when he was Medical Superintendent of the Delhi government’s Nursing Home Cell – kept the Jyoti Clinic and Nursing Home running by delaying renewal of its licence post-2014.

The LG – who has had multiple fiery run-ins with the ruling AAP and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal – cited a civil complaint against the nursing home – that it has been running despite a license called in 2018.

Mr Saxena has alleged the nursing home’s management had applied for a new licence – these are issued in three-year blocks only – but this had been kept pending by Dr Das. “Unauthorised running of the nursing home is attributed to the collusion of above official… with management of nursing home…”

“In this matter an inquiry was conducted… which concluded Dr RN Das, then Medical Superintendent (of the Nursing Home Cell)… was solely responsible for renewal of registration. It has been alleged Dr Das… provided unlawful shelter by keeping the license pending unnecessarily,” he said.

An earlier initial anti-corruption inquiry had said there is enough evidence to warrant a full inquiry.

Dr Das was posted to the Nursing Home Cell from  2011 to  2015, and from 2018 to 2022. “Given the long tenure of Dr RN Das… the officer is clearly responsible for the alleged misconduct,” Dr Saxena claimed.

Action against Dr Das (and, by implication, the Delhi Health Ministry) comes as the LG and the AAP trade blows over a horrific fire Saturday at a private children’s hospital.

READ | Delhi LG Takes Swipe At Kejriwal, Orders Corruption Probe Into Hospital Fire

Seven infants were killed in that fire, triggering a massive row as rivals BJP try to score political brownie points with voters ahead of the final phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha election.

READ | Oxygen Cylinders Began To Explode: When Fire At Delhi Hospital Killed 7

The Delhi LG seemed to link the hospital fire and the alleged licensing failure, declaring “here also Dr Das had allowed registration of the children’s hospital without bothering to ascertain pending litigation and statutory compliance status, including fire safety”.

“… incidents point to the fact Dr RN Das has clearly abused his powers,” Dr Saxena declared.

On Tuesday the LG launched a front attack and declared himself “disappointed” Mr Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Mr Bhardwaj had “paid only lip service and given sound bites (to the press)… and shirked responsibility” since the gut-wrenching incident took place.

He said he had been compelled, “in public interest”, to order an anti-corruption probe into possible lapses in registration and regulatory management of Delhi’s private nursing homes.

The AAP has not yet responded, but Mr Bhardwaj has ordered a mandatory audit of safety equipment in city hospitals and the Delhi government has initiated a magistrate-level probe.

READ | After Delhi Hospital Tragedy, Minister’s Big Order On Fire Safety

In recent weeks Mr Saxena has also stepped into the Swati Maliwal row; he came out in support of Ms Maliwal, who has accused Mr Kejriwal’s aide of assault, and claimed himself “deeply distressed”.

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New Delhi:
The AAP is “fully committed to the INDIA” opposition bloc, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said Friday, even as leaders from his party and the Congress are locked in a bitter row in Punjab over the arrest of MLA Sukhpal Khaira on drugs charges.

Here are the top 10 points in this big story:

New Delhi:

A day after the CBI opened a preliminary inquiry into alleged irregularities in the construction of the Delhi Chief Minister’s official residence, a defiant Arvind Kejriwal threw down a challenge to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “Kejriwal won’t bow down… no matter how many fake investigations he (the Prime Minister) files,” the Aam Aadmi Party leader said in his first response to the CBI move.