Arvind Kejriwal arrested: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal moved the Supreme Court challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in the money laundering case linked to the excise policy scam on Thursday evening (March 21). His petition was not given any special hearing yesterday. Sources said that no special bench was set up on Thursday night to hear the plea. Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi mentioned the plea of Kejriwal against his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate. Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud assigned Kejriwal's plea for a hearing before a bench headed by Justice Sanjiv Khanna.
A two-judge bench of SC headed by Justice Khanna told senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi that if it is a written petition, then it will be before a three-judge bench.
The development comes after a 10-member ED team led by an additional director reached his official residence on Flagstaff Road in Civil Lines in the national capital soon after the high court order, which denied him protection from arrest in the case, and carried out searches, and arrested the AAP leader after over two hours of arriving at his residence. The ED also quizzed Kejriwal briefly before making the arrest, sources said.
AAP moves SC
Addressing the media yesterday, Delhi Minister and AAP leader Atishi said, “We have filed an application in the Supreme Court against the illegal arrest of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. It will be mentioned in the Supreme Court tomorrow morning. We hope that the Supreme Court will protect democracy”.
Atishi questioned the timing of the arrest and dubbed Kejriwal’s apprehension an “assault on democracy”. She claimed that Kejriwal is the most popular leader who has the potential to challenge Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
"Today, we all have seen an attempt to murder democracy. After the announcement of the Lok Sabha elections, Arvind Kejriwal, a popular CM of Delhi and a prominent leader of the opposition has been arrested on false charges. This investigation has been going on for two years, but neither the CBI nor the ED has found a single penny in two years of investigation. But as soon as the election is announced, Arvind Kejriwal is arrested. Why? Because PM Narendra Modi knows that if there is one leader who can challenge him, it is Arvind Kejriwal," she said.
BJP demands Kejriwal’s resignation
The BJP demanded the resignation of the Chief Minister after his arrest.
“The administration of loot and lies, run by Arvind Kejriwal, has finally come to an end. Since 2020-21, connections were being established between him and the Delhi Liquor scam. Investigative agencies are still questioning but I feel that the truth had to win in the end,” Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva said.
(With inputs from agencies)
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