The Supreme Court (SC) has scheduled a hearing on April 15 for Arvind Kejriwal’s plea against his potential arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Kejriwal, a prominent political figure, is seeking legal recourse to challenge any imminent arrest by the ED.
NEW DELHI: Today (13th April): The Supreme Court is set to hear the plea filed by Arvind Kejriwal, Chief Minister of Delhi, on April 15. Kejriwal is challenging his arrest and subsequent remand by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the excise policy case.
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The matter will be presented before a bench comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta. Kejriwal approached the Supreme Court after his plea was dismissed by the Delhi High Court, where Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma ruled that there was evidence indicating his involvement in the alleged scam.
Background:
The case against Arvind Kejriwal and other Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders stems from allegations of irregularities in the Delhi Excise Policy for 2021-22. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered a case on August 17, 2022, following a complaint by Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena on July 20, 2022. The investigation focuses on a purported criminal conspiracy during the policy’s formulation, involving AAP leaders, including former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, and unidentified private individuals/entities. The alleged conspiracy aimed to favor certain licensees and co-conspirators after the tender process.
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Several AAP leaders, such as Manish Sisodia and Member of Parliament Sanjay Singh, have already been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the case. Arvind Kejriwal himself was arrested by the ED on March 21 and subsequently presented before Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court.
Initially, he was remanded to ED custody until March 28, his custody was extended until April 1. Following this, he was sent to judicial custody until April 15. However, Kejriwal sought relief by challenging his arrest and remand in the High Court, which ultimately denied his plea.
In his plea before the High Court, Arvind Kejriwal argued that the Central government was misusing the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), under which he was arrested. He claimed that this was an attempt by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which controls the ED through the Ministry of Finance, to manipulate the electoral process in their favor leading up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
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