Arvind Kejriwal to remain in jail until Apr 29; SC refuses early plea hearing challenging arrest in excise policy case

The Supreme Court, on Monday, issued notice to the ED on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s plea challenging his arrest by the agency in the money laundering case connected to the now scraped Delhi excise policy and sought its response by April 24.

A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta sought the response of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and posted the matter for further hearing on April 29.

With this, the apex court has also denied Kejriwal’s request for an urgent hearing of his plea.

The court also turned down the request by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief’s lawyer, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, for interim relief of Kejriwal until ED replies to the petition.

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“Issue notice. returnable on April 24. Notice is accepted by the respondent who are presented in court on caveat. Reply to be filed on or before April 24 and rejoinder on or before April 27. Post on April 29,” the top court said.

Singhvi requested an earlier date, but Justice Khanna declined, saying: “This is the most possible shortest date.”

The SC was hearing a plea by Kejriwal challenging his arrest by the ED and his subsequent remand in the Delhi excise policy case.

Recently, the Delhi High Court dismissed the chief minister’s plea in connection with the matter and said that there was evidence to show that Kejriwal was involved in the scam.

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The plea was filed challenging the April 10 judgment of the High Court.

Kejriwal was arrested by the ED on March 21 and was 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, the Delhi CM was sent to judicial custody till April 15. He is presently lodged in Tihar Jail.

The ED’s money laundering investigation 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.

The CBI case was registered on a complaint made by Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena on July 20, 2022.

It 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.

With inputs from agencies