GUWAHATI: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal was unable to secure an immediate hearing in the Supreme Court following the Delhi High Court's determination that the Enforcement Directorate possessed evidence implicating him in money laundering.
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Following the Delhi High Court's denial of his release from custody, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal swiftly sought recourse at the Supreme Court.
However, an urgent hearing to contest the ruling, which upheld the Enforcement Directorate's assertion of possessing sufficient evidence implicating Kejriwal in money laundering linked to the Delhi excise policy, proved elusive.
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Senior counsel Abhishek Singhvi, representing the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener, urgently petitioned Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud on Wednesday.
This urgency stemmed from the imminent closure of the Supreme Court for the remainder of the week due to Eid.
Despite Singhvi's plea, the CJI informed him that he would review the matter and issue appropriate orders during the day.
However, Kejriwal's legal team received no communication, and a late-night update on the Supreme Court's website indicated that the AAP leader's petition was likely to be listed for hearing on April 15.
Arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on March 21, Kejriwal utilized his plea before the apex court to portray his detention as a politically motivated witch-hunt orchestrated by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre.
He emphasised the broader implications of his arrest on democratic governance and the rule of law in India.
In a setback for Kejriwal, a single-judge bench of the High Court, presided over by Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma, dismissed his plea for release from jail on Tuesday.
The court rebuffed his claims of political vendetta, especially pertinent amidst the looming Lok Sabha elections.
Justice Sharma underscored Kejriwal's failure to respond to nine Enforcement Directorate summons over six months, undermining any assertion of special privilege as chief minister.
Consequently, the court deemed his arrest an inevitable consequence of his non-cooperation.
The High Court's comprehensive 106-page judgment meticulously detailed Kejriwal's alleged involvement in formulating the Delhi excise policy 2021-22.
The policy purportedly involved kickbacks from the "South Group" and manipulation of illicit funds. The judgment delineated two facets of Kejriwal's purported complicity in money laundering: first, in his personal capacity for policy formulation and kickback solicitation; and second, as the national convener of the AAP, accused of utilizing tainted funds amounting to ₹45 crore during the 2022 Goa elections.
