Delhi HC Validates Arvind Kejriwal’s ED Arrest In Excise Policy: The Delhi High Court has upheld the arrest of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the Excise policy case. Dismissing Kejriwal’s plea challenging his arrest, the court stated that it is not in contravention of the law and cannot be termed as “illegal.” Justice Swarna Kanta Sharma’s bench noted that the ED possessed sufficient material justifying Kejriwal’s arrest and that his non-cooperation with the investigation had caused delays affecting those in judicial custody.
The court emphasized that Kejriwal’s arrest and remand must be examined according to legal standards, not in relation to the timing of elections. The dismissal of Kejriwal’s challenge to the timing of his arrest before the general elections was based on the absence of any malicious intent on the part of the ED, as per the court’s ruling.
Kejriwal’s plea alleged that the ED had failed to establish his guilt under Section 3 of the law, pertaining to activities such as concealment, possession, acquisition, or use of proceeds of crime. However, the court did not find merit in this argument.
Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the ED on March 21 in connection with the excise policy case, and the trial court subsequently remanded him to judicial custody until April 15, 2024. The ED has alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is the primary beneficiary of the proceeds of crime from the alleged liquor scam and that Kejriwal was directly involved in formulating the excise policy.
The case revolves around alleged irregularities and money laundering in the framing and implementation of the Delhi Excise Policy 2022, which was later annulled. While Kejriwal was not initially named in the FIRs registered by the ED or the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the Delhi excise policy case, his involvement was mentioned in the ED’s chargesheet.
The chargesheet claimed that Kejriwal had a video call with one of the main accused, Sameer Mahendru, instructing him to continue working with co-accused Vijay Nair, who is the AAP communications-in-charge. Nair was among the first individuals arrested by the CBI in 2022. Former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh were also arrested in connection with the case, with Singh being granted bail by the Supreme Court recently.
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