Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi currently under Enforcement Directorate custody, has lodged a plea in the Delhi High Court contesting his arrest in the excise policy case. CM Kejriwal outlined the agency's purported standard operating procedure concerning high-profile political figures in his plea to the court.
He alleged that the ED typically targets individuals associated with the political figure under scrutiny, opposes their bail requests, and presses for incarceration until they become approvers, submitting statements against said political figure. However, Kejriwal asserted, those who do become approvers often miraculously develop health issues, prompting the ED to support their bail applications.
The Enforcement Directorate has requested the court for time to prepare a response to Kejriwal's challenge against his arrest in a money-laundering case linked to the alleged excise policy scam. Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, representing the agency, stated that they received the "bulky" petition only on Tuesday and asked for three weeks to present their stance.
Senior advocate AM Singhvi, representing the AAP leader, argued that the request for time to respond was merely a delay tactic. He emphasised that the challenge to the arrest's foundation raises urgent issues requiring immediate attention from the high court.
Arvind Kejriwal, the national convener of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), seeks his prompt release due to his arrest and subsequent remand to the ED. He was arrested on March 21 and remanded to the agency's custody until March 28 by a Delhi court. The trial court extended Kejriwal's custody till March 28 for further interrogation.
Kejriwal's arrest by the ED occurred shortly after the high court denied him protection from coercive action by the federal anti-money laundering agency. The case revolves around alleged corruption and money laundering related to the formulation and execution of the Delhi government's excise policy for 2021-22, which was later annulled.
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