New Delhi: After not getting relief from the Delhi High Court in the Delhi liquor scam case, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will now approach the Supreme Court. On Tuesday, Delhi High Court dealt a blow to Arvind Kejriwal on the petition challenging his arrest and ED custody. The court accepted that the arrest of CM Kejriwal is not a violation of the law. After getting a setback from the High Court, Aam Aadmi Party said that Arvind Kejriwal will now go to the Supreme Court to get relief.
In fact, after failing to get any relief from the Delhi High Court, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will approach the Supreme Court against his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). AAP also claimed that the so-called excise policy scam is the biggest political conspiracy to destroy Arvind Kejriwal and his party.
ED has arrested Kejriwal in a money laundering case related to the alleged excise policy scam. Shortly after the High Court’s decision, senior AAP leader and Delhi government minister Saurabh Bhardwaj said in a press conference that he hoped that the Supreme Court would give the same relief to Arvind Kejriwal in the case as it had given to the party’s Rajya Sabha member Sanjay. Singh was granted bail.
Saurabh Bhardwaj said, ‘We respect the High Court as an institution, but want to say with respect that we do not agree with its order and will approach the Supreme Court against it.’ He alleged, ‘The so-called excise policy scam is the country’s biggest political conspiracy to destroy the party and Kejriwal.’
Let us tell you that Delhi High Court had earlier rejected the petition of Arvind Kejriwal, in which he had challenged the arrest made by ED on March 21. The High Court’s decision may prove to be a blow to AAP which is trying to organize its activities in the absence of national convener Kejriwal before the Lok Sabha elections.
About a fortnight before his arrest on March 21, Arvind Kejriwal had launched AAP’s Lok Sabha election campaign in Delhi with the slogan “If Kejriwal is there in Parliament, Delhi will be more prosperous”. Sources said that the party has now changed its strategy and has given a new slogan ‘Jail ka Jawab, Vote Se’ to take electoral advantage of the alleged sympathy wave in the wake of the Chief Minister’s arrest.
AAP is contesting a total of 22 Lok Sabha seats from Delhi, Punjab, Gujarat, Assam and Haryana and Kejriwal had to campaign in favor of the party candidates. In his absence, other party leaders including Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh and Delhi ministers Atishi and Saurabh Bhardwaj will have to take charge.
Meanwhile, Justice Swarnakanta Sharma, while delivering the verdict, said, ‘The court believes that the arrest of Arvind Kejriwal is not a violation of legal provisions. Remand cannot be held illegal. Let us tell you that along with the arrest, Arvind Kejriwal had also challenged sending him to ED custody in the case. He is currently in judicial custody.
This case pertains to alleged corruption and money laundering in the preparation and implementation of the Excise Policy of the Delhi Government for 2021-22. The related policy was later cancelled. The ED had arrested Kejriwal on March 21, hours after the High Court refused to grant him protection from punitive action by the anti-money laundering agency. After being produced in the lower court at the end of ED’s custody period, he was sent to judicial custody on April 1 and is currently in Tihar jail.
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Tags: Arvind kejriwal, CM Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi liquor scam
FIRST PUBLISHED: April 10, 2024, 06:42 IST