New Delhi. The Supreme Court on Monday raised questions over Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal not appearing before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) despite repeated summons to record his statement. The court asked whether he can challenge his arrest in a money laundering case related to the excise policy scam on the ground that his statement has not been recorded.
Kejriwal is in judicial custody after being arrested on March 21 in the case. He is lodged here in Tihar Jail. A bench of Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Dipankar Dutta asked several questions to senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for Kejriwal, and asked why the Aam Aadmi Party leader did not file a bail petition in the subordinate court.
The bench said, “Are you not contradicting yourself by saying that their statements were not recorded under Section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA)? You do not appear when summoned to record statement under Section 50 and then say that it was not recorded.”
The court asked what the investigating officer would do if Kejriwal did not appear on the summons. Justice Khanna said, “If you do not record the statement under Section 50, then you cannot say that their statements were not recorded.” Singhvi said, “I say that other materials also do not establish my guilt. ED had come to my house to arrest me, then why can’t ED record my statement under Section 50 at my house?”
Section 50 of PMLA deals with giving power to ED officers to issue summons and produce documents, evidence and other materials. The bench is hearing Kejriwal’s petition challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate.
At the beginning of the hearing, the bench asked Singhvi, “You did not file any application for bail in the subordinate court?” Singhvi replied, ‘No’. The court asked, “Why did you not file any application for bail?” Kejriwal’s lawyer said there were many reasons for this, including the “illegal” arrest of the Chief Minister.
The apex court had issued a notice to the ED on April 15 and sought its reply on Kejriwal’s petition. The subject relates to alleged corruption and money laundering in the formulation and implementation of the now-canceled Excise Policy of the Delhi Government for 2021-22.
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Tags: Arvind kejriwal, Delhi liquor scam, Supreme Court
FIRST PUBLISHED: April 29, 2024, 22:51 IST