Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal told the Delhi high court that the Enforcement Directorate subjected him to a witch hunt. Opposing the Enforcement Directorate’s plea challenging his bail in the Delhi excise policy case, the chief minister said the bail cannot be set aside based on “perceptions and fanciful imagination” of the prosecution.
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Last month, a Delhi court awarded him regular bail in the Enforcement Directorate’s money-laundering case linked to the now-scrapped excise police. The agency later moved the Delhi high court against the order. The higher court stayed the Delhi court’s order, pausing Kejriwal’s bail.
Arvind Kejriwal, in his reply to the ED’s petition, said cancelling the lower court’s order would be tantamount to a miscarriage of justice.
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“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,” he said in his reply.
Arvind Kejriwal contented that he was arrested to be harassed and humiliated.
“ED has implicated the respondent (Kejriwal) in a false and concocted story, no case is made out against the respondent and the arrest in the instant matter is illegal,” the reply claimed.
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He said all submissions made by the agency were untenable in law.
“There exists no proof or material demonstrating that the AAP received funds or advanced kickbacks from the South group, let alone utilising them in the Goa election campaign. Not a single rupee was traced back to the AAP, and the allegations put forth in this regard are devoid of any tangible evidence, rendering them vague, baseless without any corroboration,” the reply said.
What ED’s chargesheet in the Delhi excise police case said
Meanwhile, ED has said in its charge sheet that Kejriwal “directly used” part of the alleged ₹100 crore generated from the “kickbacks” of the Delhi excise policy “scam” by staying in a luxury hotel in Goa.
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A special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court on Tuesday took cognisance of the prosecution complaint, filed on May 17, and issued a production warrant for the jailed Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader for July 12.
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The charge sheet further said that the South Group gave ₹100 crore to AAP as kickbacks for formulating a favourable liquor policy. It added that ₹45 crore was diverted to AAP’s campaign effort in Goa for the 2022 assembly elections.
“The AAP kept the expenses made out of the proceeds of crime of ₹45 crore out of the books and did not disclose the same to the Election Commission of India,” it said.
Kejriwal was arrested on March 11.
Days after he got the bail, the CBI last month arrested him from the Tihar Jail.
With inputs from PTI, ANI
