Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on March 22 withdrew his petition challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for his alleged involvement in irregularities related to the 2021-22 Delhi excise policy.
This move came shortly after his legal team sought an urgent hearing from the Supreme Court, which had agreed to hear the plea later in the day. Kejriwal's senior counsel, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, informed the court that they preferred to argue before the trial court, where Kejriwal was expected to be produced. Singhvi stated that they would contest any attempt by the ED to seek custodial remand for Kejriwal.
The decision to withdraw the petition followed the special bench's rejection of a similar request from Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K Kavitha, who was also arrested in the same case. The bench emphasized that bail pleas should be pursued through the trial court first, rather than directly approaching the Supreme Court. Kejriwal's plea had initially been mentioned before the Chief Justice of India, who redirected it to the bench hearing Kavitha's case.
Kejriwal is scheduled to appear before a special court at Rouse Avenue, where the ED will seek his custody. He was arrested by the ED after the Delhi High Court dismissed his plea for interim protection and questioned why he hadn't sought anticipatory bail from the lower court earlier. Kejriwal had previously ignored nine summonses from the ED, arguing their legality and lack of clarity on his role in the investigation.
Kejriwal's arrest marks the third major AAP leader to be apprehended in connection with the probe, following former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and AAP's Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh.
