No Relief For Arvind Kejriwal; Delhi HC Asks ED To Submit Its Response By April 2

Arvind Kejriwal Arrest LIVE Updates: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today got no relief from the Delhi High Court as the court gave the Enforcement Directorate time till April 2 to submit the response against CM Kejriwal's plea. The court noted that a decision cannot be taken by hearing the argument of just one side. The court will now hear the matter on April 3.

The Delhi High Court today heard the plea filed by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal against his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the alleged excise policy scam. The hearing was delayed as the investigative agency requested additional time to respond to Kejriwal’s plea. Additional Solicitor General SV Raju asked for time to submit a comprehensive response to Kejriwal’s plea, which the High Court has allowed. While the ED sought three week's time, the HC gave time till April 2 to the probe agency to submit their response. Raju mentioned that they received a copy of the petition only the day before.

Representing Arvind Kejriwal in the court, senior lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi claimed that the Delhi CM was arrested without ED taking his statement and he was put behind bars deliberately under the PMLA act so that bail is not granted to him. On the ED seeking additional time, Abhishek Manu Singhvi accused the Enforcement Directorate of employing stalling strategies in court. Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma stated that the court would address the issue after dealing with the matters on the supplementary list.

Meanwhile, Sunita Kejriwal, wife of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal delivered a press statement on Wednesday, as announced by the Aam Adami Party. Sunita Kejriwal had a meeting with her husband at the ED office on Tuesday evening.

The ED had arrested Arvind Kejriwal on March 21 in relation to a money laundering case linked to the Delhi Excise Policy of 2022, which was later annulled. He was remanded to the ED until March 28.

The case revolves around alleged irregularities and money laundering in the creation and execution of the 2022 Delhi excise policy. The case was initiated based on a report submitted by Delhi Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar to Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena in July 2022. The report highlighted supposed procedural errors in the policy’s formulation.