Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal Arrested In Excise Policy Case; SC Hearing On Friday

Hours after the Delhi High Court refused to grant any protection to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, an Enforcement Directorate team on Thursday arrested him in connection with the excise policy case.

The officers arrived at his house to serve him summons in connection with the Delhi excise policy case. In a dramatic turn of events, he was arrested while the workers of the party protested outside his residence.

On the other hand, the AAP has approached the Supreme Court to quash Kejriwal's arrest. "We have moved the Supreme Court to quash the arrest of Delhi CM @ArvindKejriwal by ED. We have asked for an urgent hearing by the Supreme Court tonight itself," AAP leader and Delhi Minister Atishi said in a post on X.

Atishi said that the Delhi CM's application will be mentioned in the Supreme Court on Friday morning. "We hope that the Supreme Court will protect democracy," she added.

The Opposition parties, including Congress, TMC and DMK have come down heavily on the BJP over Kejriwal's arrest. Opposition Parties Reaction

The AAP chief had earlier skipped several summonses issued by the agency in the case.

On the arrest of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal by the ED, BJP leader Shazia Ilmi says, "... Who would have imagined that the person who played such a big role in the Anna Hazare movement would be caught in a scam?..."

Earlier today, a bench of Justices Suresh Kumar Kait and Manoj Jain from the Delhi High Court refused to provide Kejriwal with any protection from coercive action in the matter.

The bench scheduled further consideration of the AAP leader's application for April 22, coinciding with the hearing of his primary petition challenging the summonses. Also, the Enforcement Directorate was instructed to submit its response.

The case revolves around alleged corruption and money laundering related to the formulation and implementation of the Delhi government's excise policy for 2021-22, which was subsequently revoked.

AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh are presently in judicial custody in connection with the case.

Kejriwal's name has been mentioned multiple times in the charge sheets filed by the ED. The agency contends that the accused maintained contact with Kejriwal to shape the excise policy, resulting in undue benefits for them in exchange for kickbacks paid to the AAP.