A Delhi court on Monday extended the judicial custody of chief mkinster Arvind Kejriwal by eight days in a money-laundering case linked to the now scrapped excise policy case till April 23.
Special Judge Kaveri Baweja, presiding over cases involving the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED), made this decision during a video-conference session where Kejriwal, detained since March 21 was presented following the expiration of his previous custody period.
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The ED requested the extension, citing the critical phase of the investigation as grounds for the necessity of continued custody.Notably, his extension coincides with the end of the judicial custody of co-accused BRS leader K Kavitha.
Earlier, AAP supremo filed a petition before the Supreme Court contesting a Delhi High Court ruling that dismissed his plea against the Enforcement Directorate’s arrest and subsequent remand in the excise policy case.
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On April 9, the High Court dismissed his request for release from jail, rejecting claims of political vendetta amid the approaching Lok Sabha elections. The court emphasised that Kejriwal’s repeated non-compliance with nine ED summons over six months undermined any assertion of special privilege as Chief Minister, implying his arrest was a natural consequence of his lack of cooperation.
In his appeal against the High Court’s decision, Kejriwal argued that the ED lacks substantial evidence under Section 19 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to infer guilt. He asserted that his arrest was solely based on contradictory and belated statements of co-accused turned approvers.
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Meanwhile, on Monday, the top court sought a response from the ED by April 24 on Kejriwal’s plea challenging his arrest in the excise policy scam. The bench, comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta, scheduled the hearing for the week beginning April 29.
Kejriwal’s arrest by the ED on March 21 pertains to a money laundering investigation concerning purported irregularities in the now-repealed Delhi excise policy 2021-22.
