Minutes after the Supreme Court refused an early hearing of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s plea challenging his arrest, the Delhi Rouse Avenue court on Monday sent him to judicial custody till April 23.
Kejriwal had moved the top court on April 10 challenging a Delhi High Court judgment that dismissed his plea on April 9 in the liquor policy scam case and rejected his argument of political vendetta in view of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
The apex court postponed hearing of Kejriwal’s plea to the week commencing from April 29. It further asked the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to file its response on or before April 24.
Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi appearing for Kejriwal told the SC that the arrest was made to disable him from campaigning.
The Delhi Chief Minister was arrested on March 21 after he skipped nine summons issued by the ED. According to the Delhi High Court, the probe agency had sufficient materials to justify the arrest, adding that it was an “inevitable consequence of his non-cooperation” with the ED.
Notably, Kejriwal is the first sitting chief minister to be arrested. He is currently lodged in Tihar jail. AAP leader Manish Sisodia is in jail since February last year.
Meanwhile, AAP leaders, including Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj accused the ruling BJP of trying to crush AAP by putting the Delhi chief minister behind bars. The party leaders also claimed that after Kejriwal, the saffron party would use investigative agencies to arrest them.
In another setback to Kejriwal, his private secretary Bibhav Kumar was also sacked over alleged violation of rules during his appointment. In another blow to AAP, its Delhi minister Raaj Kumar Anand quit the party on April 10 and resigned from all his positions. Anand accused the party of being involved in corruption and being anti-Dalit.
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