On Thursday, the Delhi High Court refused to entertain a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) requesting the removal of Arvind Kejriwal from his role as Chief Minister following his arrest in connection with the excise policy case. Kejriwal was apprehended by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in relation to an alleged money laundering incident associated with the Delhi excise policy case.
Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on March 21 regarding the excise policy case, and subsequently spent 10 days in ED custody as per court orders. Previously, the agency asserted that Kejriwal had direct involvement in shaping the excise policy.
The ED made the remarks in an affidavit to the court while opposing Kejriwal’s petition challenging his arrest and subsequent remand by the Central probe agency. Kejriwal is lodged in the Tihar Jail in the national capital till April 15 after his judicial custody was extended by the Rouse Avenue court in Delhi on April 1. During the hearing, Kejriwal's lawyer argued that the timing of his arrest ensured that he would not be able to participate in the upcoming election. The ED, in its response, called this a “bogus statement". It maintained that the agency found the money trail in the case and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) received kickbacks.