New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday, raised concerns regarding the timing of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest just before the general elections began. The apex court questioned the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on whether the central agency can initiate criminal proceedings can take up criminal proceedings without having gone through judicial proceedings in the case.
During the hearing, Justice Sanjeev Khanna pointedly asked the ED to justify why Kejriwal was arrested before the elections commenced. The court observed that while investigators claimed to have found material in the case linked to former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, no such evidence had been presented in Kejriwal’s case, as per reports.
The Supreme Court pressed the ED to explain the significant gap between the initiation of proceedings and Kejriwal’s arrest. Highlighting the importance of liberty, the court underscored the need for a valid explanation for the timing of Kejriwal’s arrest.
“Liberty is very exceedingly important, you can’t deny that. The last question is with regard to the timing of the arrest, whichA they (Kejriwal’s counsel) have pointed out, the timing of the arrest, soon before the general elections. The last question is regarding the timing of the arrest,” asked Justice Khanna.
Earlier on April 9, the High Court dismissed his plea for release from jail and rejected his argument of political vendetta amid the looming Lok Sabha elections. The High Court had said that Kejriwal’s absence from nine ED summons over six months undermined any claims of special privilege as Chief Minister, suggesting his arrest was an inevitable consequence of his non-cooperation.
Kejriwal was arrested by the ED on March 21 in connection with a money laundering probe relating to alleged irregularities in the now-cancelled Delhi excise policy 2021-22.
