GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 15th April. With less than seven weeks remaining before the Lok Sabha polls in Delhi, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s petition against his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate will be heard in the Supreme Court today. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader was arrested on March 21 in a money laundering case related to Delhi’s now-defunct liquor policy.
Following the denial of relief by the Delhi High Court on Tuesday, Kejriwal’s petition was rejected. The high court stated that the central probe agency had provided evidence suggesting that he had conspired to create the policy and was involved in demanding kickbacks of around 100 crore.
After the verdict, the AAP leader sought relief from the Supreme Court, but an urgent hearing was not granted due to the court being closed for Eid and the weekend. Today, a bench comprising Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta will hear the Chief Minister’s petition at around 10.30 am.
In his appeal against the high court’s decision, Kejriwal claimed that his arrest during the election period was politically motivated. He argued that arresting a sitting Chief Minister in the midst of an election cycle was an attack on democratic principles of free and fair elections and federalism.
Kejriwal, who was arrested after failing to respond to multiple summonses, is the third senior AAP leader to be arrested in this case. Previously, his former deputy Manish Sisodia and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh were also arrested. Singh is currently out on bail.
The ED’s money laundering investigation is based on a 2022 CBI case regarding alleged irregularities in the excise policy. The CBI initiated the case based on a complaint by Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena.
It is alleged that top AAP leaders conspired while formulating the liquor policy, intentionally leaving loopholes to benefit certain licensees. The liquor policy was revoked nine months after its implementation due to corruption allegations and political controversy.
The AAP has refuted the accusations against its leaders, emphasizing that no illegal money was found during ED’s raids.
Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj stated, “They talk about crores, but ED and CBI have not found a single rupee of illegal money. Witnesses have been coerced to change their statements to align with what ED wants. This is not about money laundering; it is the biggest political conspiracy in India’s history.”
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