New Delhi, 5 Sept

The Supreme Court on Thursday reserved its order on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's separate pleas seeking bail and challenging his arrest by the CBI in the alleged excise policy scam.

A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan heard arguments put forward by Additional Solicitor General S V Raju, representing the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for Kejriwal. "Thank you for the assistance. Judgment reserved," the bench said after the lawyers concluded their arguments.

Kejriwal has filed two separate petitions challenging the denial of bail and against his arrest by the CBI in the the corruption case filed by the central agency. The AAP chief was arrested by the CBI on 26 June.

The Delhi High Court had on 5 August 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 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 favours extended to licence holders.