The Delhi High Court on Thursday granted Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal permission for two additional virtual meetings with his legal counsel each week while in jail.
Observing that ‘special situations call for special remedies’, Justice Neena Bansal Krishna approved the extension, emphasising Kejriwal’s right to a fair trial and effective legal representation.
Delhi Chief Minister, who is in judicial custody in connection with the alleged Delhi excise scam, was entitled to two meetings with his lawyers per week under prison rules.
Kejriwal’s counsel argued that he faces around 35 cases across the country and requires the extra meetings for a fair trial via video conference.
The plea faced strong opposition from the counsel representing the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Tihar jail authorities.
Kejriwal, who was in judicial custody at Tihar Jail, was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on June 26 in connection with an alleged money laundering case filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
Earlier, the Aam Aadmi Party leader had been arrested by the ED on March 21 in the same money laundering case, and although he was granted bail by the trial court on June 20, the high court stayed this decision.
On July 12, the Supreme Court granted Kejriwal interim bail in the case till a larger bench deliberates on three key questions regarding the “need and necessity of arrest” under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Currently, Kejriwal is still awaiting bail in a corruption case filed by the CBI related to an alleged excise scam. This followed the cancellation of the excise policy in 2022 after the Delhi lieutenant governor ordered a CBI investigation into alleged irregularities and corruption surrounding its creation and execution.
According to both the CBI and the ED, irregularities happened during modifications to the excise policy and in the granting of undue favors to license holders.
(With inputs from PTI)
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