Attorney for Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal arrives at the Supreme Court to file a plea, which is scheduled for May 6 rather than the week of April 29

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal approached the Supreme Court on Friday after noticing that his appeal contesting the Delhi High Court’s decision upholding his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in a money-laundering case related to the excise scam was listed on May 6, rather than in the week beginning April 29.

“Your Lordship instructed that the Arvind Kejriwal case be scheduled for the week beginning on April 29, and I have discovered that they (ED) have submitted a response.The case list is currently shown as of May 6th.On behalf of the Chief Minister of Delhi, senior lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi informed a bench chaired by Justice Sanjiv Khanna that there is urgency.

“You move an email, we’ll address it,” Singhvi was informed by Justice Khanna.

In response to Kejriwal’s appeal against the Delhi High Court’s decision to sustain his detention in the case, the ED was notified on April 15 by a bench consisting of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta. The subject was slated for further hearing the week of April 29.

It had requested that the ED react to Kejriwal’s appeal by April 24 and allowed Kejriwal until April 27 to submit a rebuttal to the ED’s response.

In its reply, the ED informed the Supreme Court that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was “the kingpin and key conspirator of the Delhi excise scam” and that the investigating officer “formed the conclusion” that he was guilty of money laundering due to his refusal to be questioned despite nine summonses.

The ED accused the AAP of money laundering via national convener Arvind Kejriwal, claiming the party was the “major beneficiary” of the profits of crime from the Delhi excise policy scandal.

According to the investigating agency’s affidavit, “Kejriwal is the kingpin and key conspirator of the Delhi excise scam in collusion with ministers of the Delhi Government, AAP leaders, and other persons.”

The ED urged the top court to reject Kejriwal’s petition on the grounds that it was “devoid of merit,” claiming that Kejriwal “was involved in the conspiracy of formulation of the excise policy, 2021–22, to favour certain persons and also involved in the demanding kickbacks from liquor businessmen in exchange for favours granted in the said policy.”

In addition to the evidence the investigating officer has, the accused “has himself contributed and aided the investigating officer regarding the existence of the necessity to arrest, to form the satisfaction that the petitioner is guilty of the offence of money laundering,” the statement said.

The investigation agency said that even on the day of the search, while he was being questioned and having his statement recorded under Section 17 of the PMLA, he was avoiding answering questions by being evasive and completely uncooperative, even when it came to basic, non-incriminating inquiries. According to the ED, the AAP reaped the most of the criminal earnings from the Delhi liquor scam.