NEW DELHI: A day after his plea was rejected by the Delhi High Court, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday approached the Supreme Court (SC) against the dismissal of plea challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the excise policy linked money laundering case.
“Kejriwal has moved the Supreme Court challenging Delhi High Court Tuesday order in the case. He has filed an appeal before the SC,” AAP’s legal cell members Sanjeev Nasiar told this newspaper.
Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, representing Kejriwal, sought urgent listing and hearing before the SC bench led by CJI DY Chandrachud. Singhvi said the high court had relied upon an ED document which was not shared with Kejriwal. “This cannot be fair adjudication process as the accused didn’t have access to the document relied upon by ED,” Kejriwal’s counsel said.
With the SC close for business for the next two days, Kejriwal’s plea is most likely to be taken up for hearing next week when the CJI constitutes a special bench.
On Tuesday, the Delhi High Court rejected Kejriwal’s plea challenging his arrest by the ED in alleged liquor policy scam case, after noting that “the arrest was legal.”
“The arrest of Arvind Kejriwal was not in contravention of the legal provisions. The remand can’t be held to be illegal,” Justice Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma said while pronouncing the order.
Kejriwal, currently lodged in Tihar under judicial custody, also challenged his subsequent remand by the ED in the case.
“The material submitted by the ED reveals that Kejriwal conspired and was involved in formulation of excise policy and use of proceeds of crime. He is also allegedly involved in personal capacity in formulation of policy and demanding kickbacks and secondly in the capacity of national convenor of AAP,” the high court said.
Kejriwal told the court that the timing of his arrest, with the model code of conduct in force, is to “humiliate, and disable him and his party.”