Donald Trump’s Mention at Arvind Kejriwal’s Bail Hearing in Supreme Court

The Supreme Court is currently hearing a petition from Mr. Kejriwal, represented by senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi. Singhvi humorously noted during the hearing that “Trump” has become a dangerous word these days. He argued that the prosecution wants to “start all over again,” emphasizing that Article 21 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to life and liberty, should take precedence. Singhvi stated, “Article 21 of the Constitution will trump… Nowadays, Trump is a dangerous word,” referring to former US president Donald Trump, who is seeking a second term.

The bench comprising Justice Surya Kant and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan is overseeing the hearing. If Mr. Kejriwal’s petition is granted, the Aam Aadmi Party chief will be released from prison after over five months. He was arrested by the CBI on June 26 and has been denied bail by the Delhi High Court, which upheld his arrest as legal on August 5. The outcome of this hearing is crucial for Mr. Kejriwal, who remains in jail despite being granted interim bail in a related Enforcement Directorate case.

On August 14, the court refused to grant interim bail to Kejriwal in the case and sought a response from the probe agency on his plea challenging his arrest. The Delhi High Court had on August 5 upheld the arrest of the chief minister as legal, and said there was no malice in the acts done by the CBI, which was able to demonstrate how the AAP supremo could influence witnesses who could muster the courage to depose only after his arrest. The high court had asked him to move the trial court for regular bail in the CBI case. The excise policy was scrapped in 2022 after the Delhi lieutenant governor ordered a CBI probe into alleged irregularities and corruption involving its formulation and execution.

According to the CBI and the ED, irregularities were committed while modifying the excise policy and undue favors extended to license holders.