New Delhi: The Delhi high court rejected chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s plea challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and remand order passed by the trial court in connection with the Delhi excise policy case.
According to Bar and Bench, the court clarified that the plea is not for bail but for declaring the arrest illegal.
The order was passed by Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma.
Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju appeared for the ED while senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi appeared for Kejriwal.
On March 21, Kejriwal was arrested by the ED in connection with a money laundering case linked to the Delhi Excise Policy of 2021.
After his arrest, he appeared before Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court, where he was remanded to ED custody until March 28.
Then he challenged his arrest and detention in the high court.
In his plea, he argued that the Union government was abusing the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the basis for his arrest, to skew the playing field ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
On March 28, the Rouse Avenue Court extended the ED’s custody of Kejriwal till April 1. On April 1, he was remanded to judicial custody till April 15.
He is presently lodged in Tihar Jail, the news outlet reported.
“The ED case also reveals that he was involved in his personal capacity as well as convenor of AAP,” the order said.
The high court, in its order, said the material collected by the ED “reveals Arvind Kejriwal conspired and was actively involved in use and concealment of proceeds of crime,” news agencies reported.
