Supreme Court Questions Arvind Kejriwal’s Failure to Seek Bail; His Response

Arvind Kejriwal has condemned his arrest as politically motivated. He was arrested without any questioning or recording of his statement as required by anti-money laundering law.

Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi emphasized that the power to arrest is not the same as the need to arrest and that guilt must be proven, not just suspicion. Kejriwal has challenged his arrest in the top court and filed an application for interim release, arguing that the arrest and subsequent custody are unlawful.

Singhvi explained that they approached the Supreme Court because it has a wider jurisdiction. The Enforcement Directorate arrested Kejriwal on March 21 after the Delhi High Court refused to grant him protection.

The Chief Minister is currently in Tihar jail and has argued that the court’s refusal to grant protection cannot be grounds for arrest. Kejriwal has claimed that his arrest was politically motivated and an attempt to provide unfair advantages to the ruling party during the general election.

He accused the Central government of misusing investigative agencies to harass political opponents. On the other hand, the Enforcement Directorate argued that Kejriwal’s arrest became necessary due to his “total non-cooperative attitude”.

The Enforcement Directorate’s affidavit stated that Kejriwal had been avoiding interrogation and was uncooperative during the investigation. The hearing will continue tomorrow.