Plea filed in SC by Delhi CM against ED arrest withdrawn

New Delhi: Arvind Kejriwal, the chief minister of Delhi who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the liquor policy case, withdrew the appeal he had filed with the Supreme Court on Friday.

Chief Minister Kejriwal's request to have his arrest quashed was set for hearing by a special bench of the highest court on Friday afternoon.

Earlier in the day, Justice Sanjiv Khanna – who returned to the Bench in a different combination – told senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi that the 3-judge special Bench will hold the sitting to hear Kejriwal’s petition as soon as other matters on board get over.

The same special Bench, comprising Justices Khanna, MM Sundresh and Bela M Trivedi, on Friday, denied any interim relief on a plea filed by BRS leader K. Kavitha against her arrest by the ED in the money laundering case linked to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy case.

Agreeing to urgently list CM Kejriwal’s plea, CJI DY Chandrachud on Friday morning told his counsel senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi: “A special bench is convening in Justice Sanjiv Khanna’s court. You can go right away and it will be taken up right away.”

Before Singhvi could mention the matter, Justice Khanna-led special Bench had risen after concluding the scheduled hearing. However, Justice Khanna assured the senior counsel, representing Kejriwal, that the special Bench would assemble as soon as other matters on board get over.

On late Thursday, Chief Minister Kejriwal knocked Supreme Court’s doors after the Delhi High Court denied him protection against "coercive action" by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which has issued multiple summons to him in connection with the excise policy case.

With inputs from IANS