"We can't ignore there are general elections being conducted. It's an extraordinary situation," the court observed.

The agency replied that there were 5000 cases involving members of parliament across the country. "Will all of them be released on bail?" it added.

The Enforcement Directorate further said releasing Arvind Kejriwal on interim bail will set a wrong precedent. It argued that a politician had no better right than an ordinary citizen in matters of criminal prosecution.

After the ED's argument, the Supreme Court told Arvind Kejriwal’s lawyer that if it gives interim bail to the Delhi chief minister, he would not be allowed to interfere in the working of the government. The court said it would not have considered interim relief if the Lok Sabha elections were not underway.

Arvind Kejriwal's lawyer assured the Supreme Court that he would not deal with any excise policy scam-related files.

Earlier, a bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta asked the agency to produce case files before and after the arrest of former Delhi minister Manish Sisodia, who has been in jail since February 2023.

The Supreme Court noted that the Enforcement Directorate had taken two years to “unearth something”. It also asked the agency why certain relevant questions were not put before witnesses and accused in the Delhi liquor policy case.

Additional Solicitor General S V Raju, appearing for the ED, said in his reply that Arvind Kejriwal was not the prime focus of the investigation. However, he said, his role became clearer as the probe progressed.

He said Kejriwal had stayed in a seven-star hotel during the 2022 Goa assembly polls and part of the bills were allegedly paid by the Delhi government's general administration department.

Arvind Kejriwal was arrested on March 21. He is currently lodged in Delhi's Tihar Jail, under judicial custody.

Arvind Kejriwal had moved the Supreme Court after the Delhi high court upheld his arrest, saying the ED was left with little option but to arrest him.

With inputs from PTI, ANI