Arvind Kejriwal Arrest: No Relief for Delhi CM, Supreme Court Issues Notice To ED

Supreme Court  has issued  notice to Enforcement Directorate (ED) on a plea of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal challenging his arrest by ED and his subsequent remand in the excise policy case. Supreme Court asked ED to file its response on or before April 24. Supreme Court posts the plea of Kejriwal on the week commencing from April 29. Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi appearing for Kejriwal told the Supreme Court that the arrest was made to disable him from campaigning. The Delhi High Court had upheld Kejriwal's arrest in the money-laundering case, stating that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) was left with "little option" after he skipped repeated summons and refused to join the investigation. 

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 The high court had dismissed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader's petition challenging his arrest by the ED and subsequent remand in the federal agency's custody. The ED’s money laundering probe stems from a case registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on August 17, 2022 in connection with alleged irregularities in the Delhi Excise Policy for 2021-22.  It has been alleged that a criminal conspiracy was hatched by AAP leaders, including former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and other unidentified and unnamed private persons/entities during the stage of the policy’s formulation.

Several AAP leaders including former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Member of Parliament Sanjay Singh were arrested by the ED in connection with the case. Kejriwal was arrested by the ED on March 21 and then produced before Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court, which initially remanded him to ED custody till March 28.The ED's custody was later extended till April 1. Thereafter, he was sent to judicial custody till April 15.He is presently lodged in Tihar Jail.