Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Arvind Kejriwal’s Appeal Today, Dealing a Setback

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader’s petition is expected to be heard in the Supreme Court next Monday. It is learned that a special bench will not be convened for an urgent hearing on Mr. Kejriwal’s appeal. The court will be closed for Eid-Ul-Fitr on Thursday, have a local holiday on Friday, and then the weekend before reopening on the following Monday, according to the Supreme Court’s calendar.

Senior Advocate Abhishek Singhvi, representing Mr. Kejriwal, sought an urgent hearing before Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, who did not confirm if a hearing would be granted today. The high court recently dismissed Mr. Kejriwal’s challenge to his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money laundering case linked to Delhi’s now-scrapped liquor policy. The court emphasized that there is no separate protocol for questioning a common man and a Chief Minister, stating that the law should not grant special privilege to a person in power.

AAP leader and Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj expressed hope for a favorable verdict in the Supreme Court, mentioning that no illegal money was found during searches conducted by the ED and the CBI in connection with the Delhi liquor policy case. He also claimed that witnesses were pressured to change their statements to align with what the ED wanted. Mr. Bharadwaj characterized the issue as the biggest political conspiracy in India’s history.