Arvind Kejriwal wants to be released right away and is contesting his arrest in court.
By Sunday, Mr. Kejriwal has requested an urgent hearing.
Delhi, New: Arvind Kejriwal, the chief minister of Delhi, has filed an urgent application with the high court to seek his immediate release, claiming that his detention and the order that placed him under the custody of the Enforcement Directorate were unlawful.
The Enforcement Directorate detained the AAP leader on Thursday in relation to a money laundering case involving the purported Delhi liquor policy scandal. The Rouse Avenue court in Delhi gave the agency custody for seven days on Friday.
Mr. Kejriwal has appealed his arrest and the remand order, arguing that they are unlawful, in an appearance before the Delhi High Court on Saturday. The AAP leader has asserted that he is entitled to an immediate release from detention and has requested an urgent hearing from the acting chief judge of the high court by this Sunday.
As an aside, Mr. Kejriwal was arrested by the ED a few hours after the Delhi High Court denied him protection from arrest on Thursday. “After hearing both viewpoints, we are not inclined to provide protection at this time. “The respondent (ED) is free to submit a response,” a two-judge panel had declared.
The chief minister had asked AAP members to carry on their work for society and not hate anyone, including members of the BJP, which his party believes has mishandled agencies and targeted opposition figures like him, in a message earlier on Saturday that was read out by his wife Sunita Kejriwal.
Numerous factors both domestically and internationally are working to undermine India. No prison can hold me captive for an extended period of time. He stated in the message, “I will make my appearance shortly and honor my pledges.
“Main Conspirator”
The Enforcement Department had demanded Mr. Kejriwal’s custody, alleging that he was the “kingpin” and a major conspirator in the purported scheme, and that he had accepted bribes in return for favors.
The agency claims that ₹ 600 crore was made total from the crime. According to the report, the Delhi liquor policy of 2021–2022 that was abandoned gave wholesalers a profit margin of 12% and retailers a profit margin of about 185%. Six of the 12% were supposed to be recovered from wholesalers as kickbacks for AAP representatives, while another accused in the case, Vijay Nair, who was associated with the ruling party in Delhi, was allegedly given ₹ 100 crore in advance by a lobby known as the South Group.
