On Friday, the Delhi High Court scheduled March 21 as the next hearing date for the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) plea challenging the bail granted to former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the excise policy-related money laundering case.

Justice Vikas Mahajan postponed the hearing following a request from the ED's counsel. However, Kejriwal’s senior counsel opposed the adjournment, arguing that the ED had repeatedly sought delays over the past several months. 

Kejriwal’s counsel emphasized that other accused in the money laundering case had already been granted bail and urged the court to decide on Kejriwal’s bail without further delay. "There is an impending election. Why should this sword be hanging over him? If bail has been granted to all 15 accused, why should it remain pending for him?" he argued.

In response, the ED's counsel maintained that no prejudice was being caused to Kejriwal since he was already on interim bail granted by the Supreme Court. "I will set it down for hearing... No prejudice is caused to him. List for hearing on March 21," Justice Mahajan stated.

The Supreme Court had granted interim bail to Kejriwal on July 12, 2024, while referring key questions regarding the "need and necessity of arrest" under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to a larger bench.

Earlier, on June 20, 2024, a trial court had granted bail to Kejriwal on a personal bond of ₹1 lakh. However, the Delhi High Court later stayed this order following the ED's appeal. Kejriwal was arrested by the ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the money laundering and corruption cases on March 21 and June 26, 2024, respectively.

The excise policy of 2021, which is central to the case, was scrapped in 2022 after the Delhi Lieutenant Governor directed a CBI investigation into alleged irregularities and corruption in its formulation and implementation. The CBI and ED allege that undue favours were granted to license holders and irregularities were committed in amending the policy.