Arvind Kejriwal News Highlights: SC to continue hearing Delhi CM's plea against ED arrest tomorrow

Arvind Kejriwal News Live: The Delhi High Court said on Monday that Arvind Kejriwal's choice to remain chief minister following his arrest by ED is “personal,” yet this decision does not imply a compromise on the fundamental rights of school-going children. 

Additionally, the court emphasised that Kejriwal's absence should not result in students being deprived of free textbooks, writing materials, and uniforms in MCD schools. 

Furthermore, the high court asserted that the role of a chief minister in any state, particularly in a bustling capital city like Delhi, is not merely ceremonial. It is a position that demands round-the-clock availability to address crises such as flooding, fires, and disease outbreaks, the court said.

Arvind Kejriwal News Live: Today's hearing comes days after the Supreme Court issued a notice to the ED and sought its response to Kejriwal's plea challenging his arrest in the Delhi excise policy case. 

- Delhi CM was represented by senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi. During the beginning of the hearing, Justice Khanna asked if they did not file a bail application for Kejriwal, to which Singhvi replied that they didn't file for bail after his arrest, stating that the arrest itself was “illegal”. 

- Regarding the approver's statement in Kejriwal's arrest by ED, Singhvi said, “16th statement taken from someone behind bars...he gets bail later and turns approver. His statement becomes the basis. That statement is from July last year. They arrested me in March. I am not saying the CM has immunity, but does he have lesser rights?” 

- Singhvi further said, “These approvership of co-accused...it has to be corroborated. A basic principle of criminal law. Raghav Magunta made 4 statements - all exculpatory or not relied upon. We are down to the prosecutor deciding what is relevant. This is not fairness! Sarath Reddy does not incriminate me till April. But does the ED give a reason to rely on his 10th statement?” 

- “Your lordship will never find a case of arrest without Section 50 PMLA. The only exception was Sanjay Singh. Same here - no Section 50 recorded. After about 2 years, guilt is found,” he said.

Arvind Kejriwal News Live: The Supreme Court will continue hearing Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's plea against his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) tomorrow. He was arrested on March 21 in connection with the liquor policy case. 

On April 9, the Delhi High Court dismissed this plea, stating that the arrest was not on any “illegal grounds”.

Arvind Kejriwal News Live: “Inculpatory statements - one is Buchi Babu, one is Magunta...MSR. Raghav is the son. What are the dates of these 5 statements? Starting in December 2022 and ending in July 2023. Why were they arrested in March 2024? He is not a terrorist,” says advocate Singhvi, representing Delhi CM and AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal

“Were you letting a guilty Chief Minister roam free during all this time?” Singhvi says

“Your lordship will never find a case of arrest without section 50 PMLA. the only exception was Sanjay Singh. Same here - no Section 50 recorded. After about 2 years, guilt is found”

Justice Khanna says “They sent you notices, and you avoided”

Singhvi further says, “I went when CBI called. I replied to ED notices in detail. I said I was not going to come. But today, you can't arrest by saying you didn't come, so we arrested”

Arvind Kejriwal News Live: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal's lawyer Abhishek Singhvi says, “These approvership of co-accused...it has to be corroborated. basic principle of criminal law...”

“Raghav Magunta made 4 statements - all exculpatory or not relied upon”

“We are down to prosecutor deciding what is relevant. This is not fairness! Sarath Reddy does not inculpate me till April. But does ED give reason to rely on his 10th statement?”

Supreme Court hearing of the petition filed by Delhi chief minister against his arrest by ED in connection with the now-scrapped liquor policy case is underway.

Arvind Kejriwal News Live: Justice Khanna asks, “You're not charge-sheeted?”

Singhvi says, “I'm not named, charge-sheeted,” referring to Delhi chief minister during the hearing in the Supreme Court against his arrest by ED in connection with the liquor policy case.

Singhvi further says, “Sarath Reddy made no allegations in his 9 statements. These were put in unrelied documents. Fairness of a prosecutor is the uppermost consideration. Obligation of prosecutor is to bring exculpatory material to light.”

Arvind Kejriwal News Live: Delhi CM's advocate Singhvi continues argument in the hearing against Kejriwal's ED arrest.

“16th statement taken from someone behind bars...he gets bail later and turns approver. His statement becomes basis. That statement is July last year. They arrest me in March. I am not saying CM has immunity, but does he have lesser rights?”

Arvind Kejriwal News Live: Here is what advocate Abhishek Singhvi, who is representing Arvind Kejriwal in today's Supreme Court hearing, said in court:

“10 documents till December, 2023 (including CBI chargesheets and ED prosecution complaint) did not name me”.

“these 3 phrases - (1) material in possession (2) reason to believe (3) guilty of offense...power to arrest is not need to arrest. Guilt has to be made out, not mere suspicion. This is also the threshold in Section 45 PMLA”

“You are arresting someone after Model Code of Conduct after not arresting for long. Either you have imminent material, or there is material on guilt, or some basis which we don't know”

Arvind Kejriwal News Live: The Supreme Court inquires whether Kejriwal's name was mentioned in the CBI case or the Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) filed by the ED. Kejriwal’s lawyer responded that he was not mentioned. 

The Enforcement Directorate initiates an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR), akin to a First Information Report (FIR) in criminal cases.

Arvind Kejriwal News Live: The Supreme Court, while hearing the petition filed by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal against his arrest by the ED, asked why a bail application had not been submitted before the trial court, according to the Live Law.

Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Kejriwal, explained that they refrained from filing a bail application because they believed the arrest was unlawful.

Arvind Kejriwal News Live: On Monday, the Supreme Court began hearing Delhi CM and AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal's plea against his arrest by the ED in connection with the now-scrapped liquor policy scam.

Arvind Kejriwal News Live: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's wife, Sunita, and cabinet minister Atishi visited him in Tihar jail on Monday, according to PTI. 

- Initially, Sunita Kejriwal's request to meet her husband was denied by the Tihar jail administration, but she was eventually granted permission on Monday, AAP said. 

- Atishi informed reporters after the meeting that when asked about his well-being, Kejriwal inquired about the availability of books for schoolchildren and the supply of medicines to mohalla clinics. 

- On Sunday, AAP claimed that the jail authorities had rejected Sunita's request to meet the chief minister, a claim denied by the prison authorities. 

- Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is scheduled to meet Kejriwal on Tuesday.

Arvind Kejriwal News Live: The transgender faction of the Aam Aadmi Party staged a protest in the nation's capital on Saturday, calling for the immediate release of Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.

AAP leader Dilip Pandey and councillor Bobby Kinnar led the protest. The protesters demanded the liberation of the AAP's national convener by carrying placards and chanting slogans like "Jail Ka Jawab Vote Se" (Answer to Jail through Votes).

Sanjana Roy, a protester representing the transgender community, praised the efforts of the Aam Aadmi Party in advocating for transgender rights.

Arvind Kejriwal News Live:  Delhi High Court on April 9 rejected the writ petition challenging Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's arrest by the ED in connection with a money laundering case linked to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy. Later, Kejriwal moved the Supreme Court, challenging the high court's judgement. 

The Aam Aadmi Party leader has been in custody since his arrest on March 21. The ED has filed its counter-affidavit, and Arvind Kejriwal has filedhis rejoinder in the matter.

Arvind Kejriwal News Live: The Delhi CM was arrested on March 21 after his name was mentioned in the ED and CBI's chargesheet in the excise policy case. According to the chargesheet, all the accused in the excise policy case were allegedly in touch with the Delhi CM to formulate the excise policy that resulted in undue benefits to them in return for which they paid kickbacks to the party.

Arvind Kejriwal News Live: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's wife Sunita has been granted permission by the Tihar jail administration to meet him and will visit him later today, the AAP said on Monday. 

"Sunita Kejriwal will be meeting the chief minister at 12.30 pm. She will be accompanied by Delhi cabinet minister Atishi during the meeting," the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said. 

This comes a day after the AAP claimed that the  jail authorities had denied her permission to meet the chief minister. However, the prison authorities had denied the charge.

Arvind Kejriwal News Live: The case pertains to alleged corruption and money laundering in formulating and executing the Delhi government's excise policy for 2021-22. The Delhi government had come up with the policy to revitalise the city's flagging liquor business by replacing the sales-volume-based regime with a license fee for traders and promised swankier stores, free of the infamous metal grilles, ultimately giving customers a better buying experience. However, it was scrapped shortly after Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena sought a CBI probe into the policy alleging irregularities. 

According to the CBI and ED, AAP leaders accepted ₹100 crore as kickbacks from a group of politicians and liquor businessmen to grant licenses to them under the excise policy. The central agencies in its chargesheet also said that there was an involvement of certain ‘South Group’ in the alleged irregularities.

Supreme Court on Monday issued notice to ED on a petition moved by former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren, seeking interim bail in a money laundering case lodged against him. The court will hear the case next in the week commencing May 6.

Arvind Kejriwal News Live: Delhi cabinet minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Sunday said that the Aam Aadmi Party is sure that the Supreme Court will allow Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to campaign in the Lok Sabha polls.

Arvind Kejriwal News Live: AAP alleged that the Tihar jail administration denied permission for Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's wife, Sunita, to visit him on Monday. 

Sources from Tihar jail officials, however, said that permission had been granted to Delhi minister Atishi, who applied last week to meet Kejriwal on April 29. Sunita's application, however, was received earlier in the day, PTI reported.

Arvind Kejriwal News Live: Kejriwal, in his plea, said that the mode, manner and timing of his arrest just before the Lok Sabha elections when the Model Code of Conduct had come into play, speaks volumes about the "arbitrariness" of the agency. He also claimed it is a "classical case" of how the Centre has misused the ED and its wide powers under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act to "crush" the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and its leaders.

Arvind Kejriwal News Live: The Supreme Court is set to hear Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's petition challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) today in connection with a money laundering case linked to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy.