Excise policy case: Arvind Kejriwal moves Supreme Court against Delhi HC order, seeks urgent hearing

New Delhi: AAP Chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday approached the Supreme Court challenging the Delhi High Court order declining him protection from arrest in the Delhi Excise Policy case. 

Kejriwal, led by senior advocate A M Singhvi, would seek urgent hearing in the top court after Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested him on late Thursday evening.

A Delhi High Court's bench of Justices Suresh Kait and Manoj Jain had refused to grant the Delhi CM any protection from 'coercive action' in the case and listed his application for further consideration on April 22.

Kejriwal challenged validity of the ED summons. Additional Solicitor General S V Raju had said, "It is already over. Time is over. He is not attending." 

He said that a person who "flouts the law" is not entitled to be heard.

Singhvi feared his arrest was imminent which would affect level playing field in the ensuring General Elections.

Sources said Kejriwal was being questioned by the ED team for his alleged role in Delhi liquor policy scam case.

Former deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Rajya Sabha MP have been arrested in the money laundering case.

On March 15, BRS MLC K Kavitha was arrested from her residence at Hyderabad from on allegations that she was a part of the South lobby which had paid an illegal gratification of Rs 100 crores in cash to the politicians and public servants in Delhi for manipulating the liquor policy of the Delhi government and she was also a major beneficiary of it. 

She has been remanded to the custody of Enforcement Directorate till March 23.

The Enforcement Directorate has registered the money laundering case on August 22, 2022 in relation of scheduled offences of the CBI which lodged its case on August 17, 2022 in connection with irregularities committed in framing and implementation of excise policy for the year 2021-22 and payment of bribe.

The ED had claimed Kavitha and some others “conspired” with top AAP leaders, including Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia, to get favours in the now-scrapped liquor policy.