1. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s plea against arrest by the Enforcement Directorate is to be heard by the Supreme Court on April 15.
2. The Delhi High Court recently upheld his arrest by the central agency.
3. Kejriwal’s legal challenge stems from allegations related to a money laundering probe linked to the Delhi excise policy case.
New Delhi, April 13: The Supreme Court of India is scheduled to hear Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s plea against arrest by the Enforcement Directorate on April 15. The Delhi High Court recently upheld his arrest by the central agency, leading to this legal challenge.
Arvind Kejriwal was taken into custody by the Enforcement Directorate last month in connection with a money laundering probe related to the Delhi excise policy case.
Last week, a Delhi court extended his judicial custody until April 15.
Kejriwal moved the Supreme Court after the Delhi High Court dismissed his plea, stating that there was no violation of legal provisions.
The High Court concluded that the Enforcement Directorate had adequate evidence to justify Kejriwal’s arrest and that the timing of the arrest was a consequence of his actions.
The court’s 103-page judgment highlighted Kejriwal’s alleged involvement in money laundering both personally and as the national convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
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It claimed that Kejriwal, in his capacity as the Delhi Chief Minister, was involved in formulating the excise policy and demanding kickbacks.
Additionally, it alleged that he used proceeds of crime in AAP‘s election campaign during the 2022 Goa elections.
Kejriwal had approached the High Court on March 23, arguing that the ED’s actions violated his fundamental rights and were politically motivated.
Alongside Kejriwal, AAP leader Manish Sisodia has been in jail since February last year in the same case. However, Sanjay Singh, another AAP leader implicated in the case, was recently granted bail.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) have accused AAP leaders of accepting kickbacks totaling ₹100 crore from a group of politicians and liquor businessmen in exchange for granting licenses under the now-defunct Delhi excise policy.
They allege that this policy favored specific liquor traders at the expense of public funds.
