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

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

Putting at rest the speculation that the AAP national convernor may seek urgent hearing tonight in the apex court, his counsel and senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi told PTI that no such move is in the offing.

The moment the news about Kejriwal's supposedly impending arrest came, media swarmed the apex court premises in anticipation of a late night hearing.

An ED team visited Kejriwal's premises and set off speculations about his impending arrest.

The ED team visited Kejriwal's official residence as part of a court summons.

A six-member team of the federal probe agency, with a contingent of the Delhi Police, reached his official residence on Flagstaff Road in the national capital.

Earlier in the day, a high court division bench headed by Justice Suresh Kumar Kait had refused to grant Kejriwal the relief of interim protection from coercive action and listed his application seeking the relief for 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.