Excise case: Kejriwal seeks early hearing in SC on his plea against HC order upholding his arrest

Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud on Wednesday said he will look into Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s request for an early listing of his plea against a high court order upholding his arrest. He asked Kejriwal’s lawyer to send an email.

Earlier in the day, Kejriwal moved the Supreme Court against the April 9 judgement of the high court.

”I will look into the e-mail (seeking early listing of plea). Please send the mail,” CJI Chandrachud told senior advocate and Kejriwal’s counsel Abhishek Singhvi.

”This is urgent and is regarding the Delhi chief minister. The arrest is based on an un-relied document and suppressed from us,” Singhvi said.

In a blow to Kejriwal ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, the Delhi High Court on Tuesday upheld his arrest in the Delhi excise policy-linked money laundering case, saying the Enforcement Directorate (ED) was left with ”little option” after he skipped repeated summonses and refused to join the investigation.

The high court also cited the ED’s claim that Kejriwal conspired and was actively involved in the use and concealment of the proceeds of crime to reject his petition against his arrest.

Kejriwal was arrested by the ED on March 21, hours after the high court refused to grant him protection from coercive action by the federal anti-money laundering agency.

He is in judicial custody till April 15 and is currently lodged in Tihar jail.