The Delhi High Court is set to deliver its verdict on Tuesday on Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Arvind Kejriwal‘s petition challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case in connection with the now-scrapped excise policy case.

According to the cause list posted on the court’s website, Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma will announce the judgment on April 9 at 2.30 pm. Notably, Kejriwal has contested not only his arrest but also his subsequent remand in the custody of the ED. On April 1, the Rouse Avenue Court sent him to judicial custody till April 15.

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Justice Sharma had issued a notice in the CM’s main petition against the arrest on March 21 and his application for interim relief seeking immediate release on March 27, scheduling it for “final disposal” on April 3. Following about four hours of arguments from both sides on April 3, Justice Sharma reserved the verdict.

Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Kejriwal, opposed his “illegal” arrest, arguing that it was aimed at incapacitating him from any active political role, thereby affecting the level-playing field and the basic structure of the Constitution.

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Meanwhile, the ED, represented by Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, contended that “criminals and undertrials have no right to claim immunity by committing crimes, particularly on the grounds that elections are imminent”.

Kejriwal was apprehended by the central agency on March 21 after the high court rejected his plea for protection from coercive measures, prompting backlash from the opposition. On April 1, he was remanded to jail for a fortnight after spending 11 days in ED custody.

The liquor policy, initially aimed at revamping the liquor industry in Delhi, was abandoned following an investigation ordered by Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena into purported irregularities associated with the policy. The probe agency suspects that the policy yielded substantial profits, with alleged bribe funds purportedly channelled to support election campaigns of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).