New Delhi: In a significant ruling, a Delhi court announced on Wednesday that it has “no objection” to the renewal of former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s passport for a duration of ten years. Kejriwal is currently facing allegations related to the Delhi excise policy cases, which are under investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
Special Judge Dig Vinay Singh issued the order in the context of ongoing corruption and money laundering investigations. The court noted that Kejriwal would still be required to seek formal permission before traveling abroad, in accordance with his bail conditions.
“The applicant is not currently seeking permission to travel abroad, likely indicating that he does not have immediate plans for international travel. However, this should not impede the renewal of his passport for the full ten-year term,” the judge stated. “The existing bail conditions stipulate that the applicant must obtain court approval prior to any foreign travel.”
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The judge further emphasized, “The application submitted by Arvind Kejriwal for the renewal of his passport is hereby approved, and this court has ‘no objection’ to the renewal for a period of ten years, in accordance with the applicable regulations.”
Both the CBI and the ED expressed opposition to Kejriwal’s request. The ED argued that the passport renewal should not be granted for the full ten years, while the CBI suggested that the standard practice in similar cases is to limit renewal to five years.
Despite these objections, the judge clarified that the court’s order does not restrict the discretion of passport authorities in deciding whether to grant or deny the renewal under the Indian Passports Act and relevant regulations.
Kejriwal’s legal counsel contended that his passport expired in 2018 and that he has submitted an application for its renewal, which has been pending for the past ten years.
The money laundering case originates from a First Information Report (FIR) filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) following a recommendation from Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor, V.K. Saxena, to investigate alleged irregularities in the implementation of the excise policy.
According to the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), there were significant irregularities in the modification of the excise policy, during which undue advantages were allegedly granted to certain license holders.
The Delhi government introduced the excise policy on November 17, 2021, but it was ultimately revoked by the end of September 2022 amid mounting allegations of corruption.
