The Aryavarth Express
Agency(New Delhi): After facing a defeat at the Delhi High Court, Chief Minister of Delhi and Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal intends to appeal to the Supreme Court. This move follows the High Court’s decision to reject his challenge against the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) arrest related to alleged money laundering in the excise policy case. According to party insiders, the High Court ruled against Kejriwal, finding substantial evidence from the ED that he had engaged with others in criminal activities and had used illegal financial gains.
AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj publicly disagreed with the verdict on Tuesday, labelling the excise policy case as a major political plot aimed at undermining both the party and Kejriwal. Although the party respects the High Court, they do not accept its ruling regarding Kejriwal and have announced plans to escalate the matter to the Supreme Court.
The High Court’s dismissal of Kejriwal’s plea came with the rationale that the arrest complied with legal norms and his further detention could not be deemed unlawful. Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma, who issued the judgment, clarified that the arrest and subsequent remand to ED custody were justified based on adequate evidence presented by the ED.
Arvind Kejriwal was taken into custody by the ED on March 21 immediately after the High Court denied him protective measures against the federal anti-money laundering body’s actions. His arrest is linked to accusations of corruption and illicit money dealings in the formulation and implementation of Delhi’s excise policy for the year 2021-22, which was later discarded. Following his initial ED custody, Kejriwal was placed in judicial custody for 15 days by a trial court on April 1. The High Court emphasized that their concern lies with constitutional legality, not the political implications of their decisions.