(Image source from: x.com/barandbench)

The Supreme Court has granted bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the Delhi Liquor Policy Enforcement Directorate money laundering case. However, Kejriwal remains in custody as he is currently being questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in another case. A bench of Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Dipankar Dutta announced the verdict. Kejriwal has been in jail for over 90 days, the court said while granting interim bail in the excise case filed by the ED. “Satyamev Jayate (Truth alone will prevail),” said the AAP Supreme Court verdict. “Satyamev Jayate (Only the truth will prevail),” the party posted in Hindi on X (formerly Twitter 9) along with a photo of Kejriwal holding the national flag. Kejriwal, who is also the leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), was arrested on March 21. A 55-year-old man has challenged the Delhi High Court's verdict in a petition in a money laundering case related to an alleged alcohol insurance scam in Delhi, prosecutors said. Mr Kejriwal, who was arrested in the case, said there was no wrongdoing in the case and the Central Investigation Agency was left with "few options" as he refused repeated summonses.

Both ED and CBI are probing the money laundering aspect in the defunct Delhi Liquor Policy. Under the excise policy introduced in November 2021, the Delhi government has withdrawn from liquor retailing and allowed private licensees to operate stores. In July 2022, Delhi Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar warned of serious violations of the policy and claimed "undue advantages" against liquor sellers. This policy was canceled in September of the same year. The CBI has alleged that the liquor companies were involved in formulating the excise policy that should have given them a profit of 12%. A liquor association called Southern Group paid bribes worth 100 million rupees to the AAP, some of which went to government employees, the newspaper said. The Department of Enforcement of Money Laundering demands bribes.