The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday lashed out Arvind Kejriwal after the Delhi high court rejected his plea challenging arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the excise policy case.
“Aam Aadmi Party's arrogance has been shattered. The self-proclaimed honest character (of Arvind Kejriwal) has also been shattered by facts and proofs,” BJP MP Sudhanshu Trivedi was quoted by ANI as saying.
“This is not a normal thing, because he did not seek bail, instead he challenged his arrest,” the BJP leader added.
BJP MP Manoj Tiwari posted on X,"A criminal is a criminal. Everyone in the country has to follow the laws of India. Today Hon'ble Court order has shown the mirror to AAP's gang leader, evidence collected by ED shows that the kingpin is Arvind Kejriwal. AAP stand exposed."
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Earlier in the day, the Delhi high court while rejecting Kejriwal's plea said that the ED was in possession of enough material that led them to arrest him. The delay caused by the chief minister also impacted those who were in custody, the court added.
The court further stated that this court is of the opinion that the accused has been arrested and his arrest and remand have to be examined as per law and not as per the timing of elections. Kejriwal's challenge to the timing of arrest before General elections in the absence of any mala fide on part of ED not sustainable, said the bench of Justice Swarna Kanta Sharma.
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Kejriwal was arrested by the ED on March 21 after he skipped nine summons by the central agency. He was held hours after the high court refused to grant him protection from coercive action by the federal agency.
The court further stated that this court is of the opinion that the accused has been arrested and his arrest and remand have to be examined as per law and not as per the timing of elections. Kejriwal's challenge to the timing of arrest before General elections in the absence of any mala fide on part of ED not sustainable, said the bench of Justice Swarna Kanta Sharma.
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Kejriwal was arrested by the ED on March 21 after he skipped nine summons by the central agency. He was held hours after the high court refused to grant him protection from coercive action by the federal agency.
The Aam Aadmi Party convenor was sent to judicial custody in the case on April 1 after he was produced in the trial court on the expiry of ED custody.
The matter pertains to alleged corruption and money laundering in formulating and executing the Delhi government's excise policy for 2021-22 which was later scrapped.