In HC, Kejriwal opposes ED’s plea against his bail in excise case
Hindustan TimesChief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday opposed before the Delhi high court a plea by the Enforcement Directorate against the bail he was granted, arguing that discretionary orders of bail cannot be set aside merely on perceptions and fanciful imagination of the prosecution. Kejriwal asserted that the court, before granting bail to him, had clearly heard ED, and the agency could not condemn and criticise the order. In a 91-page reply filed on the eve of the high court hearing the ED plea, Kejriwal raised questions regarding the maintainability of the federal probe agency’s plea, and asserted that the high court equated the bail order with an order of guilt or acquittal, which ought to have detailed findings after meticulously weighing the evidence. The AAP chief asserted that the court, before granting bail to him, had clearly heard ED, and the agency could not condemn and criticise the order. Urging the court to reject EDs contention of not being heard at the outset, Kejriwal, in his reply filed through advocates Vivek Jain and Mohd Irshad, asserted that the city court asking the federal agency’s counsel to be brief could by no stretch of imagination be construed as curtailing an opportunity of being heard.