Kejriwal 'sutradhaar' of excise 'scam'

New Delhi: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was the "sutradhaar" of the excise 'scam', the CBI on Monday told the Delhi High Court which reserved its order on the bail plea of the AAP chief in a corruption case linked to the alleged scam.

The investigating agency opposed Kejriwal's bail application before Justice Neena Bansal Krishna and said there was evidence to show his involvement in the offence. "The investigation could not have been concluded without his arrest. Within a month we filed the charge sheet...After his arrest, we got evidence. His own party workers came out to answer," said CBI's counsel D P Singh, adding that a final charge sheet has been filed in the trial court.

Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for Kejriwal, contended that the arrest was an “insurance arrest” to ensure that he does not come out of jail. He emphasised that there was no direct evidence against the AAP chief and the investigating agency apprehended him based on presumptions and hypothesis. Asserting that the excise policy was an institutional decision which was also signed off by the Delhi lieutenant governor (LG) after it went through several committees, Singhvi remarked that the other persons who were involved in the process should also be made co-accused.

"15 others also signed it. The LG signed it...By his (Singh's) own logic, they should make him an accused," Singhvi said. He argued that there was no recovery from Kejriwal and the case against him was based on presumptions and hypothesis.