Delhi Excise Policy: SC Issues Notice To ED, No Relief For Arvind Kejriwal

The Supreme Court has issued a notice on a plea filed by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal challenging his arrest and remand by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the excise policy case. The next hearing is scheduled for April 29, 2024.

Kejriwal will stay in jail until at least April 29, which is 10 days after the start of the Lok Sabha elections. This decision came after the Supreme Court rescheduled a petition challenging his arrest, pending the Enforcement Directorate's response. The court has given the probe agency two weeks to respond to the plea filed by the Delhi Chief Minister.

Kejriwal moved the Supreme Court on April 10, a day after the Delhi High Court rejected his petition, alleging that he had "colluded with others" in the case.

During the Supreme Court hearing, senior lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing the Delhi Chief Minister, argued that Kejriwal's "arrest and detention were based on an unreliable document that was withheld from us".

The petition filed by the AAP national convener also claims that his arrest was carried out "in a biased manner" and was solely based on subsequent, conflicting, and "very delayed statements of co-accused" who have now become approvers.

The petition seeks his release and demands that the arrest be declared "unlawful".

In its dismissal of Kejriwal's plea on April 9, the Delhi High Court also stated that he was "actively involved in the utilization of the proceeds of the crime", as per evidence provided by the Enforcement Directorate.

The court additionally stated that he was involved in an individual capacity in the formulation of the now-defunct alcohol policy and in soliciting bribes, and in his role as the national convener of AAP, he participated in activities related to the scandal.