Arvind Kejriwal News Highlights: Delhi CM to move Supreme Court against HC order

Arvind Kejriwal LIVE updates: Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh is scheduled to travel to Punjab on Tuesday to meet chief minister Bhagwant Mann and party MLAs, according to sources cited by news agency PTI

With AAP national convener and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal currently under arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case, Singh and Mann are tasked with the significant responsibility of leading the party's election campaign, the sources added.

Arvind Kejriwal LIVE updates: On Monday, Punjab's opposition parties criticised chief minister Bhagwant Mann, alleging that he disrespected freedom fighter Bhagat Singh. This came after AAP leaders and ministers in the state observed a day-long fast at Khatkar Kalan to protest the arrest of party leader Arvind Kejriwal.

Khatkar Kalan is the ancestral village of Bhagat Singh. Responding to AAP's nationwide call for a collective fast, Mann and, several ministers and AAP MLAs convened at Khatkar Kalan in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district on Sunday for a day-long fast.

Arvind Kejriwal LIVE updates: Today, the Delhi High Court is set to deliver its verdict on the plea filed by Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in relation to the Delhi excise policy case.

In the previous hearing on April 3, the chief minister raised concerns about the timing of his arrest, particularly regarding the approaching Lok Sabha elections.

Arvind Kejriwal lodged a petition in the Delhi High Court contesting his detention in the money laundering case associated with the Delhi excise policy.

Additionally, Kejriwal disputed his subsequent custody under the ED.

Arvind Kejriwal LIVE updates: In the recent hearing at the Delhi High Court on April 3, Arvind Kejriwal raised concerns about the ‘timing of his arrest,’ particularly in light of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

• He argued that his arrest contradicts the fundamental principles of the Constitution.

• Meanwhile, the ED countered by asserting that the law applies equally to Kejriwal as it does to any other citizen, labelling him as the key figure in the Delhi excise policy case.

• While the ED claims to have established a money trail leading to the chief minister, Kejriwal maintains that there is insufficient evidence implicating him in the alleged scam. Read more

Arvind Kejriwal LIVE updates: Senior leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), along with Delhi cabinet ministers and MLAs, conducted a day-long "Samuhik Upwas" (community fast) at Jantar Mantar on Sunday.

This act was described as a "collective act of solidarity" to denounce the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, while accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of resorting to "dictatorship". They emphasised that "people will respond to the incarceration with their votes" in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Arvind Kejriwal LIVE updates: Delhi chief minister and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal, faced arrest in the Delhi excise policy case on March 21, following multiple summons issued by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

• Former Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia was apprehended by the CBI on February 26, 2023, regarding his purported involvement in the Delhi excise policy case.

• Sanjay Singh, an AAP leader and Member of Parliament, was arrested by the ED on October 4 in connection with the same case. He secured bail last week following an order from the Supreme Court.

• K Kavitha, a leader of the BRS party and daughter of former Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao, was arrested by the ED on March 15 in a case linked to the Delhi liquor policy investigation. Allegedly, K Kavitha played a significant role in the 'south cartel' implicated in the Delhi liquor policy scandal.

Arvind Kejriwal LIVE updates: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has on Saturday accused former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and other defendants of causing delays in the trial concerning the money laundering case linked to the now-defunct Delhi excise policy.

In a report by PTI, the central agency opposed the bail plea of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader, asserting that Sisodia was involved in drafting the policy and that he, along with other party members, received advance kickbacks totalling ₹100 crores.

Arvind Kejriwal LIVE updates: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) staged a collective fast on Sunday outside Neelam Cinema in Sector 17 Plaza in Chandigarh to protest against the arrest of party chief and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal.

• SS Ahluwalia, chairman of Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board and co-in-charge of AAP, Chandigarh, led the protest in the form of a fast. Senior AAP leaders, including Prem Garg, Vijay Pal, Meena Sharma, Abha Bansal, Mayor Kuldeep Kumar, councillor Prem Lata, and volunteers, joined the day-long fast.

• The protest also saw participation from a Chandigarh Sector 23 Market Association delegation, led by association president Manoj Bajaj and members Param Khukreja, Manmohan Singh, and Amit Chopra.

Arvind Kejriwal LIVE updates: The Delhi High Court, on Monday, suggested imposing “heavy costs” on the petitioner, as it transferred a plea filed by former AAP MLA Sandeep Kumar over Arvind Kejriwal's arrest.

• Sandeep Kumar's plea aimed to remove Arvind Kejriwal from the position of Delhi chief minister following his arrest by the ED in a money laundering case related to the scrapped excise policy. 

• The case was transferred to a bench led by acting chief justice Manmohan. Sandeep Kumar argued in his petition that Kejriwal's arrest renders him incapable of fulfilling his duties as per the Constitution. 

• The petition claimed that Kejriwal's incarceration creates a constitutional dilemma as he cannot function as the chief minister from prison, as mandated by the Constitution.

Arvind Kejriwal LIVE updates: AAP launched a new campaign for the upcoming Lok Sabha election titled “Jail Ka Jawab Vote Se” (responding to jail with a vote), aimed at rallying support in response to CM Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest. 

• This initiative follows a month after Kejriwal and Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann initiated the party’s first drive titled “Sansad Me Bhi Kejriwal, Toh Delhi Hogi Aur Khushhal” (If Kejriwal is in Parliament, Delhi will prosper). 

• AAP leaders intend to take this fresh campaign directly to the people, informing them about Kejriwal's arrest in what they claim to be a fabricated case designed to suppress the AAP. 

• The campaign is particularly focused on all seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi, currently held by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), with the general elections scheduled for May 25.

Arvind Kejriwal LIVE updates: Punjab chief minister and AAP leader Bhagwant Mann is expected to visit Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal in jail this week, following approval from the Aam Aadmi Party leader, according to Tihar Jail officials.

• Officials confirmed that an additional director general (security) of the Punjab Police contacted the Delhi prisons chief, Sanjay Baniwal, to inquire about the protocol for Mann's visit.

• The meeting is anticipated to occur in the jail's common area, with adjustments likely due to the Z+ security status accorded to both CMs.

Arvind Kejriwal LIVE updates: AAP MLAs in the Delhi Assembly accused the BJP of “attempting to impose President's Rule in Delhi” on Monday.

• Madan Lal, AAP MLA, said during discussions on “attempts to unconstitutionally impose President's Rule in Delhi” that the BJP aims to coerce Kejriwal into resigning post-arrest, according to news agency PTI.

• Lal highlighted an alleged “emergency-like situation” where the L-G (VK Saxena) purportedly stated he would not allow Kejriwal to govern from jail. AAP MLAs refuted claims that Kejriwal is legally barred from governing while in jail.

• Lal further said that rumours of the President's Rule were spread to intimidate AAP. AAP MLA BS Joon dismissed claims of a constitutional crisis and asserted there's no threat of dissolving the Delhi Assembly.

Arvind Kejriwal LIVE updates: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) interrogated Arvind Kejriwal's personal assistant (PA), Bibhav Kumar, and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Durgesh Pathak on Monday as part of a money laundering investigation linked to discrepancies in the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22.

Bibhav had previously been questioned, and the ED recorded his statements in February under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

These actions follow the federal agency's arrest of Delhi Chief Minister and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal in connection with the case.

Arvind Kejriwal LIVE updates: Delhi minister and AAP leader Atishi said on Monday that if imprisoned CM Arvind Kejriwal were to join the BJP, he would be freed within a day.

"If Kejriwal joins the BJP like (Assam Chief Minister) Himanta Biswa Sarma, he will be released in one day," she said. The BJP is afraid of Kejriwal because he fulfils his promises, the Delhi education minister said. The BJP has “put him behind bars as he builds good schools, excellent hospitals and makes children from poor families capable of admissions to IIT”, she said.

On Tuesday of last week, Atishi made a big claim that following Arvind Kejriwal's arrest, the ED was targeting her, Saurabh Bharadwaj, Durgesh Pathak, and Raghav Chadha. Atishi said she was approached by a BJP affiliate, closely associated with her, warning of potential arrest if they did not align with the BJP.

Subsequently, the Delhi BJP issued Atishi a legal notice on Wednesday regarding her statement.

Arvind Kejriwal LIVE updates: The Delhi High Court will announce its decision on chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's petition challenging his arrest and detention by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the Delhi excise policy case today. 

Kejriwal has raised concerns about the “timing of his arrest” by the central agency, claiming it violates fundamental aspects of the Constitution, such as democracy, fair elections, and equitable opportunities.