Arvind Kejriwal’s plea rejected by Delhi High Court

Kanwar Inder Singh/ royalpatiala.in News/ April 9,2024

In a setback to Delhi chief minister and aam admi party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal , the Delhi High Court on Tuesday rejected his plea challenging the arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case in connection with the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy.

In his plea, Kejriwal had stated that his arrest was in violation of Section 19 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

Besides his arrest, Kejriwal, who is currently in judicial custody, also challenged his subsequent remand in ED custody in the case.

The court  said ED was able to show enough documents including the statements of Hawala dealers which shows that money was sent to Goa elections.  “The court is of the view that the arrest of Arvind Kejriwal was not in contravention of legal provisions. The remand can’t be held to be illegal,” said Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma while delivering the verdict.

As per reports, the court said that the material collected by ED reveals that Arvind Kejriwal conspired and was actively involved in use and concealment of proceeds of crime. “The ED case also reveals that he was involved in his personal capacity as well as convenor of AAP.”

“Who gives tickets to contest elections to whom or who gives electoral bonds to whom is not for this court to see.”

The Judge further rejected Kejriwal’s contention that he could have been questioned through Video Conferencing and said that it is not for the accused to decide how the investigation is to be done. It cannot be as per the convenience of the accused.

“There cannot be any specific privilege for any one including the Chief Minister,” the judge said.