Excise policy case: CM Kejriwal gets no relief from SC against ED arrest, next hearing on April 29

New Delhi: On Monday, The Supreme Court has taken cognizance of a petition filed by Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi Chief Minister, challenging his arrest and subsequent remand by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with an excise policy case linked to the liquor policy case. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo’s plea was dismissed by the Delhi High Court on April 9.

The decision by the two-judge bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta came as it was hearing the plea today. The apex court issued a notice on Kejriwal’s plea and scheduled the next hearing for April 29, 2024. Meanwhile, Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court has extended the judicial custody of the Chief Minister, who is currently lodged at the Tihar Jail, till April 23.

The two-judge bench added,”Issue notice. Returnable on April 24. Notice is accepted by the respondent who is presented in court with a caveat. Reply to be filed on or before April 24 and rejoinder on or before April 27.”

The 14-day judicial custody of the Chief Minister, who is currently lodged at the Tihar Jail, will also end on Monday. Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi, has approached the Supreme Court seeking relief from his arrest and detention by the Enforcement Directorate in a case related to the excise policy.

Kejriwal’s plea asserts that his arrest was unjustified and seeks the apex court’s intervention to quash the charges against him. In a crucial development for Arvind Kejriwal, the Supreme Court heard a petition challenging the decision of the High Court that upheld his arrest and remand.

The apex court issued a notice on Kejriwal’s plea, demanding a response from the ED before April 24, 2024.Additionally, another hearing on Kejriwal’s judicial custody extension will take place in the Rouse Avenue Court. The apex court’s decision came in response to the plea filed by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and his subsequent remand in connection with the alleged now-scrapped Delhi liquor policy case.