ED BOTTLES UP KEJRI HOPES TILL APRIL 3

HC refuses to order release from Tihar as interim relief; counsel argues he was betrayed and deceived by approvers modern-day 'Jaichand.'

- GAURAV VIVEK BHATNAGAR

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday refused to pass any interim order on plea for immediate release of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal who is in ED's custody in connection with a money laundering case stemming from the Delhi Excise Policy scam.

But even as the court declined to pass any interim order, it issued notice on the Delhi CM's plea for relief. It further granted ED time till April 2 to respond and posted the matter for further consideration on April 3.

Incidentally, Kejriwal's arrest too had taken place just hours after the High Court rejected his plea for protection from coercive action in the case. A Delhi court had subsequently on March 22 remanded him to six days' custody of the central investigating agency.

Appearing for Kejriwal before Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi pleaded that his arrest in the case was only based on statements by accused persons who had later turned approvers and that there was no other evidence against him.

The ED's case is that the now scrapped new excise policy was implemented by the Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi in 2020-21 as part of a conspiracy to give wholesale business profit of 12% to certain private company.