High Court reserves verdict on Kejriwal

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday reserved its verdict on a petition by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in a money-laundering case linked to Delhi excise policy scam.

“I am going to reserve judgment,” Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma said after hearing arguments from senior counsel AM Singhvi for Kejriwal and Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, who represented the ED.

The order is expected to be pronounced on Thursday.

The ED had arrested Kejriwal on March 21 after the Delhi High Court refused to grant him protection from coercive action by the probe agency in the money-laundering case. On April 1, a Delhi Special Court sent Kejriwal to 14-day judicial custody on the expiry of his ED custody.

Singhvi questioned the timing and necessity of the Delhi Chief Minister’s arrest, saying it went against the basic structure of the Constitution, which included free and fair elections that required a level-playing field for all political parties during the democratic exercise.