Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal withdraws from Supreme Court his plea against ED arrest

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday withdrew a plea in the Supreme Court against his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the country's financial crime fighting agency, in the excise policy-linked money laundering case, hours after the top court agreed to hear the matter. Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, representing Kejriwal, requested a bench headed by Justice Sanjiv Khanna to withdraw the plea, stating that the remand proceedings before the trial court, due later in the day, would be clashing with the hearing in the apex court. 

He said Kejriwal would contest the remand proceedings before the trial court and then return to the Supreme Court with another petition.

"You may go there (before trial court). Just write an e-mail to the registry. We will see," Justice Khanna told Singhvi.

The move came hours after Justice Khanna had told Singhvi that Kejriwal's petition against his arrest would be heard by a three-judge bench during the course of the day.

Within the next 10-14 days, the ED may seek a remand of about 10 days, according to sources.

Kejriwal had moved the Supreme Court late on Thursday after he was arrested by the ED hours after the Delhi High Court refused to grant protection to the AAP national convenor from any coercive action by the agency.

His arrest comes as a major setback for the opposition ahead of the onset of Lok Sabha elections due next month. The arrest means that three main leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) are in jail, following the arrests last year of two of Kejriwal's deputies in the same case.

Kejriwal rose to power as an anti-corruption crusader and founded the AAP in 2011. Scores of supporters protested outside his heavily guarded residence and clashed with security forces as news of his arrest broke.

The ED is investigating allegations that a now-withdrawn liquor policy implemented by the Delhi government in 2022, which ended its control over the sale of liquor in the capital, gave undue advantages to private retailers.

The AAP has maintained that no evidence of wrongdoing has emerged in the investigation and Kejriwal has previously said that if he is corrupt "then there is no one in this world who is honest".

With inputs from agencies