Supreme Court seeks ED reply on timing of Delhi CM Kejriwal’s arrest

THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK

New Delhi, April 30: The Supreme Court on Tuesday queried the Enforcement Directorate about the timing of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest prior to the general elections and sought a response from the agency.

A bench comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta instructed Additional Solicitor General SV Raju to provide a response regarding the timing issue, stressing the significance of “life and liberty.”

“Life and liberty are exceedingly important. You can’t deny that,” the bench said.

The bench, after posing several queries to Raju, instructed the investigative agency to respond during the next hearing of Kejriwal’s plea challenging his arrest in the excise policy scam/ liquor scam.

The next hearing for the case is scheduled for Friday.

On April 15, the Supreme Court served a notice to the ED and asked for its response to Kejriwal’s petition.

Following his arrest on March 21 in connection with the case, Kejriwal is presently being held in judicial custody at the Tihar jail.

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Delhi HC declared Kejriwal’s arrest valid

The Delhi High Court denied his appeal on April 9, stating that remand cannot be deemed “illegal” and that Kejriwal’s arrest does not violate any laws.

The high court went on to say that it believes the accused has been arrested and that his arrest and remand should be reviewed in accordance with the law, not in relation to when the elections are being held.

The court stated that Kejriwal’s objection to the timing of his arrest ahead of the general elections, without any evidence of malicious intent from the ED, is not justifiable.

Kejriwal arrested on March 21

Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested CM Arvind Kejriwal on March 21, and subsequently, the trial court decided to keep him in judicial custody until April 15.

He remains in judicial custody until May 7 and is presently held in Tihar Jail.

The ED has accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of being the primary recipient of the proceeds of crime linked to the purported liquor scam.

The ED further alleged that Kejriwal had direct involvement in shaping the excise policy.