The Supreme Court will announce its verdict on Friday regarding Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s petition challenging his arrest and custody by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the alleged excise policy scam.
As reported by ANI, Justice Sanjiv Khanna will lead the bench in delivering the verdict on July 12, following the court’s reservation of judgment on Kejriwal’s plea on May 17.
Additional Solicitor General SV Raju informed the Supreme Court during the hearing that there was evidence indicating money being transferred to the AAP through hawala channels. Raju also stated that the ED had uncovered communications, including chats, between Kejriwal and hawala operators concerning the alleged proceeds of crime in the case.
Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Kejriwal, had contended that the material being cited by ED now to defend the Chief Minister’s arrest was not present during his arrest.
On May 10, the top court granted him interim bail till June 1 in the money laundering case registered by the ED in connection with the Delhi excise policy, however, ordered that he shall not visit the Office of the Chief Minister and the Delhi Secretariat.
The bench had asked Kejriwal to surrender on June 2. He surrendered on June 2.
The apex court’s judgement will come from Kejriwal’s appeal against a Delhi High Court judgement which dismissed his plea against arrest by the ED and his subsequent remand in the excise policy case.
Kejriwal, while filing an appeal in the apex court had contended that his arrest after the announcement of the General Elections was “motivated by extraneous considerations”.
On April 9, the High Court dismissed his plea for release from jail and rejected his argument of political vendetta amid the looming Lok Sabha elections.
The High Court had said that Kejriwal’s absence from nine ED summons over six months undermined any claims of special privilege as Chief Minister, suggesting his arrest was an inevitable consequence of his non-cooperation.
Kejriwal was arrested by ED on March 21 in connection with a money laundering probe relating to alleged irregularities in the now-cancelled Delhi excise policy 2021-22.
Earlier on Thursday, BJP said the entire country is waiting for Arvind Kejriwal to resign on moral grounds for being jailed in the excise policy scam, while the AAP said the ED has made its national convener an accused only to keep him in jail.
Kejriwal “directly used” part of the alleged ₹100 crore generated from the “kickbacks” of the Delhi excise policy “scam” by staying in a luxury hotel in Goa, the ED has claimed in its charge sheet filed against the AAP supremo, PTI reported.
(With inputs from agencies)
