Delhi excise policy case: Kejriwal moves Delhi HC challenging arrest

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday (March 23) moved Delhi High Court, challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money-laundering case linked to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam.

Sources in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said his legal team would request the high court to hear the matter urgently, preferably on Sunday. In his plea, Kejriwal, who was arrested by the ED on Thursday night, has contended that his arrest and remand were illegal and that he was entitled to be released from custody immediately.

Kejriwal’s arrest

The ED arrested Kejriwal hours after the high court refused to grant him protection from coercive action by the central anti-money laundering agency. On Friday, a trial court remanded him in ED custody till March 28 “for his detailed and sustained interrogation”.

Kejriwal had approached the high court for quashing and setting aside all proceedings, including the summonses issued against him. In that petition, Kejriwal had said he was a “vocal critic” of the ruling party, an Opposition leader, and a partner in the INDIA bloc, and the ED, being under the Centre’s control, had been “weaponised”.

Delhi excise policy case

The case pertains to alleged corruption and money laundering in the formulation and execution of the Delhi government’s excise policy for 2021-22 which was later scrapped. Top AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh are already in judicial custody in the case, while BRS leader K Kavitha is in ED custody.

Kejriwal’s name has been mentioned multiple times in the charge sheets filed by the ED. He skipped eight summonses issued to him in the case and moved HC seeking protection from arrest.

The agency has alleged that the accused were in touch with Kejriwal for formulating the excise policy that resulted in undue benefits to them, in return for which they paid kickbacks to the AAP.

(With agency inputs)