Arvind Kejriwal Moves Supreme Court to Halt Potential Arrest in Delhi Excise Policy Scam

In a significant development, Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader, Arvind Kejriwal, has escalated his fight against potential arrest to the Supreme Court. This action comes after allegations linking him to the contentious Delhi excise policy scam, further intensified by the Delhi High Court's refusal to offer him interim relief from the Enforcement Directorate (ED)'s summonses.

Background of the Delhi Excise Policy Scam

The Delhi High Court earlier today witnessed Justices Suresh Kumar Kait and Manoj Jain denying Kejriwal's plea for interim protection. This plea was in response to Kejriwal contesting the ED's right to summon him. The court set April 22 as the date to hear both his plea for interim protection and the main petition against the summonses.

Kejriwal has been the subject of nine summonses from the ED, all of which he has avoided, citing them as baseless and accusing the government of misusing the federal agency for political vendettas. Despite being granted bail on March 16, his efforts to stop the proceedings at the sessions court were thwarted a day before. Kejriwal's subsequent move was to challenge the ED summonses and the legality of Section 2(1)(s) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in the High Court, a section that includes political parties within its ambit.

The request for interim relief was denied by the High Court on March 20, following a directive to the ED to comment on the petition's maintainability. This highlights the legal scrutiny surrounding Section 2(1)(s) of the PMLA.

The backdrop of this legal battle is a comprehensive money laundering investigation initiated by the ED following a case registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on August 17, 2022. The case, sparked by a complaint from Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena on July 20, 2022, involves alleged irregularities in the Delhi Excise Policy for the year 2021-22. The complaint accuses AAP leaders, including former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, and other parties of conspiring to exploit policy loopholes for personal gain.

The scandal has already seen high-profile arrests, including AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh and K Kavitha, the daughter of Bharat Rashtra Samiti legislator and former Chief Minister of Telangana, K Chandrashekar Rao, on March 15, 2024.

As Kejriwal turns to the Supreme Court seeking to avoid arrest, the legal entanglements and allegations surrounding the Delhi excise policy scandal continue to unfold, marking a critical juncture in Indian political and legal discourse.