SC rejects CM’s Urgent Case appeal, say’s earliest hearing by Monday
Today, the Supreme Court rejected Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s urgent case appeal regarding his plea of challenge for arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in the Delhi Excise Policy Scam 2022.
The probe agency had arrested the AAP Chief after he repeatedly avoided appearing for summons issued by the agency in relation to the now-discarded Delhi Excise Policy.
This morning, Mr. Kejriwal’s legal representative, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Sighvi, brought up the case before CJI (Chief Justice of India) DY Chandrachud and urgently requested a hearing. However, CJI did not confirm whether the hearing would be today.
Soon after the SC declared that it wouldn’t be convening a special bench for the CM’s case hearing, the court will close for Eid-Ul-Fitr on Thursday, a local holiday on Friday, and then the week off. Thus, leaving the court to assign the next possible hearing on Monday, April 15.
The appeal was made by his legal representative after the Delhi High Court upheld its verdict for sentencing Kejriwal to jail time on the grounds of Kejriwal’s repeated refusal to appear for an ED summons in the Delhi Excise Policy Scam 2022. The AAP leader has remained in Tihar jail since April 1 and is likely to remain there till SC overrules the HC mandate.
Delhi CM moves to the Supreme Court after High Court rejected his challenge plea
On April 9, the Delhi High Court dismissed Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s yet another challenge plea regarding his arrest by ED in the alleged Delhi Excise Policy Scam.
The CM has often questioned the timing of his arrest by the anti-money laundering agency, citing it as a planned conspiracy to prohibit him from contesting in the elections that is just around the corner. The court, however, dismissed the plea on grounds of the CM’s repeated refusal and failure to appear before the agency in due time.
A division bench headed by Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma said, “This court holds that this court would not lay down two different categories of laws, one for common citizens and the other granting special privilege to be extended by the investigating agency to a chief minister or any other person in power only on the basis of being in that public office since that public office is enjoyed by that public figure due to the mandate of the public.”
The court further ruled that following the CM’s repeated ignoring of ED summonses, the anti-money laundering agency had “little option” other than arresting him.
Delhi CM’s arrest is the biggest political conspiracy in India, AAP says
Kejriwal has frequently protested his innocence with claims that he was being framed as part of a frugal political conspiracy by the ED in a bid to weaken the Aam Aadmi Party’s image with elections just around the corner.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued at least nine summonses to Arvind Kejriwal, in links to separate cases, but the CM did not appear before the agency on time, citing threats of life and a lack of protection.
A TOI report stated that following his arrest by ED officials on March 21, Kejriwal has remained in continued judicial custody. He is currently being moved to Ward No. 4, Jail No. 2, on Monday evening after his plea challenge was rejected by Delhi HC.
Although Kejriwal is not the only AAP leader currently housed in Tihar jail, AAP MPs Manish Sisodia, Satyender Jain, and Sanjay Singh are also currently remanded in jail numbers 1, 7, and 5, respectively, in relation to the Delhi Excise Policy Scam.
Meanwhile, AAP Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said, “They are talking about crores. But the ED and CBI have not found even a rupee of illegal money. Witnesses have been pressured to change their statements and say what the ED wants them to.”
He also said that the party’s hopeful of a more favourable ruling from the apex court. Following the recent resignation of AAP MP Raaj Kumar Anand from the Delhi cabinet, he added that the ruling party BJP has established a nexus with the central agencies and is working to dismantle the opposition, part by part.
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