Supreme Court verdict today on Arvind Kejriwal's plea challenging arrest by ED

The Supreme Court is set to deliver its verdict on a petition filed by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money laundering case linked to the now-defunct excise policy. The ruling, anticipated with great interest, follows the court's reservation of its judgment on May 17.

A two-judge bench comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta has been overseeing the proceedings. During the hearings, the Supreme Court requested the ED to provide witness statements recorded after the arrest of former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and before the arrest of Arvind Kejriwal. The court emphasised the need to examine these documents to understand the basis of the allegations against Kejriwal.

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Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, representing the ED, informed the court about the discovery of additional evidence, including hawala transactions and WhatsApp chats. The bench queried whether these details were included in the "grounds of arrest" provided to Kejriwal. Raju responded that the agency is not obliged to disclose all details to the accused, prompting the bench to question how Kejriwal could challenge the reasons for his arrest without complete information.

The ED has filed a chargesheet in the Delhi liquor policy case, directly implicating Kejriwal. 

According to the chargesheet, Kejriwal was involved in a scheme that saw the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) receive Rs 100 crore in kickbacks in exchange for preferential treatment to private entities through a specially crafted liquor policy. 

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The ED alleges that Kejriwal collaborated with members of the 'South Group' and other associates, including Vijay Nair, to secure these kickbacks. Nair is accused of acting on behalf of senior AAP leaders, including Kejriwal.

In his defense, Kejriwal asserted to the ED that Vijay Nair operated under the direction of Delhi Ministers Atishi and Saurabh Bhardwaj, distancing himself from the accused's actions. Kejriwal was arrested by the ED on March 21, amid allegations that he, alongside Sisodia and other AAP leaders, planned a criminal conspiracy to exploit the liquor policy for financial gain.