Supreme Court to Rule on Kejriwal's Plea Against ED Arrest in Excise Scam

The Supreme Court is set to deliver its judgment on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's plea challenging his arrest and remand by the Enforcement Directorate over the alleged excise policy scam. The verdict will be announced on July 12 by a bench headed by Justice Sanjiv Khanna.

The Supreme Court will announce its decision on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's plea challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) regarding the alleged excise policy scam. Justice Sanjiv Khanna's bench will deliver the judgment on July 12.

The verdict, initially reserved on May 17, follows a hearing where Additional Solicitor General SV Raju presented evidence of money being transferred to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) through hawala channels. ED reportedly found chats between Kejriwal and hawala operators regarding ill-gotten gains. Kejriwal's counsel, Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, argued that the evidence cited by the ED was not present during the arrest.

The Supreme Court granted Kejriwal interim bail on May 10, valid until June 1, in the money laundering case tied to the Delhi excise policy. However, the bench barred him from visiting the Chief Minister's Office and the Delhi Secretariat, ordering his surrender on June 2.

Kejriwal's appeal argues that his arrest was politically motivated, citing its timing shortly after the General Elections announcement. Previously, on April 9, the Delhi High Court dismissed his plea, criticizing his repeated absences from ED summons and ruling out claims of political vendetta.

Kejriwal was taken into custody by ED on March 21 in connection with a money laundering investigation pertaining to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy for 2021-22.

(With inputs from agencies.)