Kejriwal moves SC against HC order denying him protection from coercive action

Sources said the AAP national convenor approached the top court seeking an urgent hearing of his petition after a high court division bench headed by Justice Suresh Kumar Kait refused to grant him interim protection. 

New Delhi: Hours after the high court denied him relief, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday evening rushed to the Supreme Court seeking protection from any coercive action by the Enforcement Directorate in an excise policy-linked money laundering case.

Sources said the AAP national convenor approached the top court seeking an urgent hearing of his petition after a high court division bench headed by Justice Suresh Kumar Kait refused to grant him interim protection.

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The high court has listed Kejriwal’s application seeking protection from coercive action for further consideration on April 22, when his main petition challenging the Enforcement Directorate’s summons has been fixed for hearing.

The high court also asked the ED to file its response to Kejriwal’s application seeking protection from coercive action.

“We have heard both sides and we are not inclined at this stage (to grant protection). The respondent is at liberty to file reply,” the high court said.

The ED placed before the high court the documents pertaining to the probe and said there was material to show the necessity to call Kejriwal for questioning.

The application for interim relief in the high court forms part of Kejriwal’s petition challenging the ED’s summonses issued to him for questioning.

Kejriwal had moved the high court in the wake of the latest summons, the ninth issued by the ED, asking him to appear before it on Thursday.

The case pertains to alleged corruption and money laundering in formulating and executing the Delhi government’s excise policy for 2021-22, which was later scrapped.

AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh are in judicial custody in the case.

Kejriwal’s name has been mentioned multiple times in the charge sheets filed by the ED. The agency has alleged that the accused were in touch with Kejriwal for formulating the excise policy that resulted in undue benefits to them in return for which they paid kickbacks to the AAP.