NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) probing the liquor scam case has submitted its reply to the Supreme Court saying that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had desperately tried to save himself from appearance before it by allegedly evading the nine summonses.
The ED reply on Wednesday came in compliance with the SC’s earlier orders asking the agency to file its response to Kejriwal’s appeal. The ED has said it arrested the CM when he could not secure a restraining order against his arrest from the Delhi HC on March 21. “He is the main accused in the case,” the ED said.
The agency said the CM’s argument held no water that his arrest was meant to prevent him from participating in his party’s election process. The plea was wrong that he was stopped in participating in a constitutional democratic process (election).
The ED argued that if there was enough evidence against an accused person, whose political clout is huge, and the agency arrests him/her, then one could not say that his arrest was illegal. One could not say that one’s participation in an electoral process would be adversely affected if one is arrested, it said. “If these arguments are taken into consideration, then no political leader would be arrested despite involvement in a case,” the ED said.
Kejriwal on April 10 knocked the doors of the Supreme Court against the dismissal of a plea of his arrest and remand in the scam case. His appeal challenging the rejection of arrest and remand was also pending for hearing before a two-judge bench of the top court. The matter is due to come up for a hearing on April 29.