Kejriwal’s counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi told the top court that he will argue the case before the Magistrate regarding his remand when ED produces him before the Rouse Avenue court in Delhi.We are withdrawing the petition here as it is clashing with the remand. We will argue the remand and come back here . I will give a letter to the Registry (of Supreme Court regarding withdrawal),” Singhvi said.
After hours of speculation and an eventful mentioning episode before the Supreme Court on Friday morning, Delhi Chief Minister (CM) Arvind Kejriwal chose to withdraw his plea before the top court against his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the Delhi excise policy case [Arvind Kejriwal vs Directorate of Enforcement].
Kejriwal’s counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi told the top court that he will argue the case before the Magistrate regarding his remand when ED produces him before the Rouse Avenue court in Delhi.
“We are withdrawing the petition here as it is clashing with the remand. We will argue the remand and come back here . I will give a letter to the Registry (of Supreme Court regarding withdrawal),” Singhvi said.
The Court allowed the request.
Kejriwal arrest by the ED came soon after a late evening search at his residence on Thursday.
He was on Thursday refused interim protection from arrest by the Delhi High Court.
A division bench of Justices Suresh Kumar Kait and Manoj Jain had said that it was not inclined to grant any such protection at this stage.
The ED’s money laundering probe stems from a case registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on August 17, 2022 in connection with alleged irregularities in the Delhi Excise Policy for 2021-22.
The CBI case was registered on a complaint made by Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena on July 20, 2022.
It has been alleged that a criminal conspiracy was hatched by AAP leaders, including former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and other unidentified and unnamed private persons/entities during the stage of the policy’s formulation.
The conspiracy, it has been alleged, stemmed from some of the loopholes “intentionally” left or created in the policy. These were allegedly meant to favour some licensees and conspirators post the tender process.
Sisodia and AAP Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament Sanjay Singh are already behind bars in the case.
On March 15, 2024, the ED also arrested the daughter of Bharat Rashtra Samiti legislator and former Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, K Kavitha in the case.
The Delhi CM was called for questioning by the federal agency nine times previously. However, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Convenor chose to skip the summons each time.
He termed the agency’s summons malicious and said that the agency was being misused by the government for political motives.
Arvind Kejriwal now moves Supreme Court to stop his arrest in Delhi Excise Policy case
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