Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s lawyer, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, during the Supreme Court hearing on Thursday, invoked former US President Donald Trump’s name while arguing for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader’s bail against the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the Delhi excise policy case.
Singhvi argued that the prosecution aims to “start all over again” and emphasised that Article 21 of the Constitution, which protects the right to life and liberty, should have greater importance. He further said that “Trump” has become a “dangerous word” in contemporary times.
“An important principle is that Articles 21 and 22 of the Constitution trump Section 45 PMLA…Trump is a dangerous word nowadays,” Singhvi said in the Supreme Court, according to Live Law. The senior counsel’s reference was to Republican candidate Donald Trump, who is campaigning for a second term as US President.
Supreme Court hearing on Kejriwal’s bail plea
Singhvi, representing the chief minister, informed a bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan that the CBI did not serve any notice to Kejriwal before his arrest, and the trial court passed an ex-parte arrest order.
He also pointed out that Kejriwal was not arrested by the CBI for nearly two years in the alleged excise policy scam, but an “insurance arrest” was made on June 26 after he secured bail in the more “stringent” money laundering case brought by the ED.
Seeking bail for the jailed Delhi CM, Singhvi argued that Kejriwal is a constitutional functionary, not a flight risk. He emphasised that Kejriwal was not named in the CBI FIR and reiterated that he poses no flight risk.
The senior lawyer noted that the Supreme Court, while granting interim bail in the money laundering case, had observed that the chief minister did not threaten society.
On August 23, the top court permitted the CBI to file its counter affidavit and allowed Kejriwal two days to submit a rejoinder.
Kejriwal has filed two separate petitions – one challenging the denial of bail and the other contesting his arrest by the CBI. He is challenging the August 5 decision of the Delhi High Court, which upheld his arrest.
The Delhi high court, in its August 5 ruling, deemed Kejriwal’s arrest lawful and found no malice in the CBI’s actions. The court noted that the CBI demonstrated how Kejriwal, as the AAP leader, could potentially influence witnesses who only gained the courage to testify following his arrest.
(With inputs from agencies)