Supreme Court agrees to consider Kejriwal’s request for urgent hearing on petition challenging Delhi HC order upholding his arrest by ED

Senior counsel AM Singhvi mentions Kejriwal’s petition before a Bench led by CJI DY Chandrachud

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. File photo

Tribune News Service

Satya Prakash

New Delhi, April 10

A day after the Delhi High Court dismissed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s petition challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in a money-laundering case linked to Delhi excise policy scam, the AAP leader on Wednesday moved the Supreme court against the high court’s verdict.

A Bench led by CJI DY Chandrachud agreed to consider Kejriwal’s request for urgent hearing on his petition after senior counsel AM Singhvi mentioned his petition for immediate listing.

“Send an email. I will look into it,” the CJI told Singhvi who said the high court’s order was based on certain material that was suppressed from the petitioner.

However, Kejriwal’s petition was expected to be taken up only on Monday when the top court reopens after Eid.

Spelling further trouble for beleaguered Delhi Chief Minister, Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma of the Delhi High Court had on Tuesday dismissed his petition challenging his arrest by the ED, saying there was no violation of law or the Supreme Court’s verdicts. The ED was in possession of “enough material” that led to his arrest, it said, rejecting his allegations of political vendetta.

The ED had arrested Kejriwal on March 21 after the Delhi High Court refused to grant him protection from coercive action by the probe agency in the money laundering case. On April 1, a Delhi Special Court sent Kejriwal to 14-day judicial custody till April 15 on the expiry of his ED custody.

The ED alleged that Kejriwal was the kingpin and the key conspirator of the excise scam and there were reasons to believe on the basis of material in its possession that the AAP leader was guilty of the offence of money laundering.

In a related development, the Delhi High Court on Wednesday refused to entertain former AAP MLA Sandeep Kumar’s PIL seeking removal of Arvind Kejriwal as the Delhi Chief Minister following his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate and said Rs 50,000 costs would be imposed on him.

“We will impose some heavy costs on you now. This is the third round of litigation we are dealing with,” a Bench led by Delhi High Court Acting Chief Justice Manmohan – which had earlier termed it as a “publicity” litigation -- told Kumar’s counsel.

“The Governor will take a call on this. We won't. You are trying to involve us in political thicket… Please don't do a political speech over here. Go to a corner of the road and do that. We have passed an order, you can challenge it…. It is because of people like your client that we are reduced to a joke. The more you speak, the more costs we will impose,” Justice Manhohan said.

Meanwhile, a Delhi court on Wednesday rejected Kejriwal’s plea for permission to hold five meetings a week with his advocates, instead of two meetings he was allowed.

Special Judge Kaveri Baweja said Kejriwal has failed to satisfy the court that he has been using the two permitted legal meetings per week solely for the purpose of discussing the pending litigations with his lawyers.

“The status report/note filed by the Investigating Agency indicates that the Applicant (Kejriwal) had dictated certain directions for being passed on to the Water Minister, to one of his lawyers during the course of a legal meeting," Special Judge Baweja noted.

About The Author

Tribune News Service

The Tribune News Service brings you the latest news, analysis and insights from the region, India and around the world. Follow the Tribune News Service for a wide-ranging coverage of events as they unfold, with perspective and clarity.