No protection to Kejriwal from arrest after ED shows evidence to Delhi HC

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Thursday refused to grant any protection from arrest to Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal after the Enforcement Directorate showed the evidence to a bench headed by justices Suresh Kumar Kait and Manoj Jain in their chamber.

"At this stage we are not inclined to pass such an order," the Bench said.

Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi had appeared for Kejriwal and argued that ED’s latest summons were issued to him on March 16, the same date when the schedule for the Lok Sabha elections were announced. 

Singhvi said that ED is being misused to create non-level playing field before the elections.

He contended that none of the ED’s summons clarify if Kejriwal is being called for questioning as an accused or a witness.

Additional Solicitor General (ASG) SV Raju appeared for ED and argued that law cannot be different for someone just because he happens to be the Chief Minister of a state.

Raju clarified that Kejriwal has not been summoned in his official capacity as Chief Minister or the National Convenor of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) but in his personal capacity.

The Bench asked ED to reply to Kejriwal's interim relief plea and listed the application for further hearing on April 22 when his main petition against ED's summons is coming up for hearing.

Kejriwal had moved the court in the wake of the latest summons, the ninth issued by the ED, asking him to appear before it on Thursday.

He has repeatedly refused to appear before the agency, calling the summonses illegal.

The case pertains to alleged corruption and money laundering in formulating and executing the Delhi government's excise policy for 2021-22, which was later scrapped.

AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh are in judicial custody in the case.

Kejriwal's name has been mentioned multiple times in the charge sheets filed by the ED. The agency has alleged that the accused were in touch with Kejriwal for formulating the excise policy that resulted in undue benefits to them, in return for which they paid kickbacks to the AAP.

A Delhi court granted bail to Kejriwal on Saturday on two complaints filed by the ED against him for skipping six of the previous eight summonses in the money-laundering case.