New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday stated that granting bail to Arvind Kejriwal would not "demoralise" the Delhi High Court, which had previously denied relief to the Chief Minister regarding his arrest by the CBI in the alleged liquor policy scandal. Justices Ujjal Bhuyan and Surya Kant dismissed the CBI's argument against releasing Kejriwal, advising them not to make such claims.

Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, representing the CBI, argued that Kejriwal should have first sought bail from the lower Rouse Avenue Court rather than directly approaching the High Court. He contended that granting bail now would undermine the High Court's authority.

AAP MP Raghav Chadha responded with sarcasm on social media, suggesting that the CBI's reasoning was as illogical as claiming the sunrise in the East would demoralize the West.

The High Court had previously rejected Kejriwal's bail application in early August, directing him to approach the sessions court instead. The AAP then took the matter to the Supreme Court, referencing its earlier remarks in the case of ex-Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, arguing that returning to the trial court was akin to a futile game of snakes and ladders.

Following the hearing, the Supreme Court reserved its decision on Kejriwal's bail plea and also on a separate challenge to the CBI's arrest.

Kejriwal was detained by the CBI in June, shortly after securing bail in a related Enforcement Directorate case. Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, representing Kejriwal, criticized the CBI’s arrest as a strategic move to keep him in jail longer, especially with the Delhi Assembly elections approaching. Singhvi noted that since Kejriwal had been granted bail in the ED case, he had met the 'triple test' criteria for bail.

Singhvi also highlighted that other accused in the liquor policy case, including Sisodia and AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, had already been granted bail.

Kejriwal has been imprisoned since late March but had temporary relief in June, only to return to Tihar Jail after the general election results. The ED and CBI accuse him of playing a significant role in a new liquor policy that allowed wholesale licenses and purportedly involved kickbacks amounting to approximately ₹100 crore, allegedly used to fund AAP’s election expenses in Goa. Kejriwal and other accused deny these charges and claim that the central government is targeting opposition politicians ahead of elections.

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