The Supreme Court is set to hear Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's plea challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and his subsequent remand in the excise policy case on Monday. This follows the Delhi High Court's rejection of a similar plea filed by the Aam Aadmi Party leader.
Following a setback in the Delhi High Court, where his plea was dismissed due to alleged non-cooperation with the ED's investigation, Kejriwal has now sought relief from the Supreme Court. He argues that his arrest, particularly amidst the 2024 Lok Sabha election schedule, was politically motivated.
According to the Delhi high court, the probe agency had sufficient materials to justify the arrest, adding that it was an “inevitable consequence of his non-cooperation” with the ED. Notably, the probe agency had summoned Arvind Kejriwal nine times in the case, but he did not depose before it.
Kejriwal condemns his arrest as an attack on democracy and an effort to restrict his freedom. He argues that the timing of his arrest was orchestrated to sway the electoral process. He further asserts that the actions of the ED have been influenced by vested interests with the aim of targeting political adversaries.
The AAP leader was arrested on March 21 in relation to the money laundering investigation connected to purported irregularities in the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy. In the previous hearing, he was remanded to judicial custody until April 15.