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

The Supreme Court is set to reopen next Monday, and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader’s petition is expected to come up for review. It has been learned that the court will not form a special bench for an urgent hearing on Mr. Kejriwal’s appeal. The Supreme Court’s calendar shows it closed for Eid-Ul-Fitr on Thursday, observed as a local holiday on Friday, followed by the weekend, and will resume proceedings on Monday. Mr. Kejriwal’s counsel, Senior Advocate Abhishek Singhvi, brought up the matter before Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud this morning, seeking an urgent hearing.

However, the Chief Justice declined to specify if a hearing will be granted today, stating, “We will see, we will look into it.” In a recent development, the high court dismissed Mr. Kejriwal’s challenge to his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 21 in a money laundering case related to Delhi’s now-scrapped liquor policy. The court emphasized that the central agency had limited options after the AAP leader failed to comply with multiple summonses in the money laundering case. It also highlighted the ED’s allegation of Mr. Kejriwal’s active involvement in the use and concealment of alleged proceeds of crime.

The court stressed that there is no distinct protocol for a probe agency to follow when questioning a common man and a Chief Minister. “Further, this Court holds that this Court would not lay down two different categories of laws, one for common citizens, and the other granting special privilege to be extended by investigating agency to a Chief Minister or any other person in power only on the basis of being in that public office since that public office is enjoyed by that public figure due to the mandate of the public,” Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma stated. Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj expressed hope for a favorable verdict in the Supreme Court, stating that the ED and the CBI did not find any illegal money during their searches related to the Delhi liquor policy case. He further alleged that witnesses had been pressured to change their statements to align with the ED’s interests.

Bharadwaj emphasized that the issue was not simply about money laundering, but rather, he regarded it as “the biggest political conspiracy in India’s history.”