The Delhi High Court on Saturday rejected Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s request for an urgent hearing of his petition challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case linked to the liquor policy scam.
The court said the matter will be listed for hearing on March 27, the first working day after the two holidays for Holi, reported NDTV.
In his petition, the Aam Aadmi Party leader termed his arrest and remand as “illegal” and contended that he was entitled to be released from custody immediately.
Kejriwal had also sought an early hearing of his petition, preferably by Sunday.
The chief minister was arrested on Thursday evening after he skipped several summons issued by the central agency for questioning in connection with its probe. The arrest came hours after the high court refused to grant him protection from coercive action by the agency.
The trial court on Friday remanded Kejriwal in ED's custody till March 28 "for his detailed and sustained interrogation".
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. The ED has alleged that the accused were in touch with Kejriwal for formulating the policy that allegedly resulted in undue benefits to them in return for which they paid kickbacks to the AAP.
Top AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh are in judicial custody in the case.
Meanwhile, the AAP is set to launch a protest in all assembly constituencies of Delhi on Sunday to protest against Kejriwal’s arrest.
The party will take out a candle march and burn effigies in protest against “BJP’s dictatorship” and the chief minister’s “illegal arrest”.
