On Monday, April 15, the Supreme Court requested a reply from the Enforcement Directorate following a petition by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal contesting his apprehension in a money laundering case associated with the defunct Delhi excise policy.
A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta issued notice to the ED on Arvind Kejriwal’s plea challenging the Delhi high court order that had upheld his arrest in the case.
Court Proceedings and Custody Extension for Arvind Kejriwal
The bench asked the ED to file a reply to the plea by April 24 and said the matter would be heard in the week commencing April 29.
The high court had on April 9 upheld his arrest in the money-laundering case, saying the ED was left with “little option” after he skipped repeated summonses and refused to join the investigation.
The high court had dismissed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader’s petition challenging his arrest by the ED and subsequent remand in the federal agency’s custody.
Meanwhile, Delhi’s Rouse Avenue court on Monday extended the judicial custody of Arvind Kejriwal in the same till April 23.
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Extension of AAP Leader’s Custody by Special Judge Kaveri Baweja
Special Judge Kaveri Baweja, overseeing cases for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and ED, prolonged the custody of AAP leader after his virtual appearance in court. The ED requested the extension, citing the investigation’s critical phase. The case involves alleged corruption and money laundering related to Delhi government’s excise policy for 2021-22, which was subsequently annulled. Arvind Kejriwal was apprehended by the ED on March 21, following the denial of protection from coercive action by the high court.