Arvind Kejriwal Withdraws Plea Against Arrest From Supreme Court

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal withdrew his plea from the Supreme Court on Friday against his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader was arrested by the probe agency in an excise policy-linked money laundering case yesterday, March 21. Arvind Kejriwal had till now skipped nine summons issued by ED in the money laundering case.

Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who appeared for the Delhi CM, told the apex court that Arvind Kejriwal was withdrawing the petition as it is clashing with the remand. Notably, the Supreme Court Special Bench, comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna, MM Sundresh, and Bela M Trivedi, was set to take up the plea today.

Earlier on March 21, the Delhi High Court dismissed the AAP leader’s plea seeking to restrain the probe agency from taking coercive action. The division bench of the Delhi High Court, comprising Justice Suresh Kumar Kait and Justice Manoj Jain, said that the court is not inclined to grant relief to Arvind Kejriwal at this stage. Following this, a 12-member ED team arrived at the Delhi CM’s residence in the evening to conduct a search and served the summons on him.

At the same time, Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest has led to protests by AAP workers across India. The national capital is also witnessing huge protests. Delhi cabinet ministers Saurabh Bharadwaj and Atishi were detained by Delhi Police amid the protest. “I have been detained by Delhi Police while peacefully protesting at ITO,” cabinet minister Atishi wrote on his X handle on March 22.

Opposition leaders also severely criticised the BJP-led central government over Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest. “This is a blatant assault on democracy,” wrote West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on her X handle.