Shortly after the Delhi High Court refused to grant interim relief to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, a team of the Enforcement Directorate arrived at his residence to question him in connection with a money laundering case linked to the alleged irregularities in the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy.
According to the sources, the ED sleuths carried a search warrant and a raid is underway at Kejriwal’s residence.
Notably, the Delhi CM has skipped nine summonses in the case. Two of his trusted aides — former deputy CM Manish Sisodia and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh — are already in jail in connection with the liquor policy case.
Earlier today, Kejriwal, who is also the national convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), was denied interim protection from arrest by ED.
A division bench of the high court comprising Justice Suresh Kumar Kait and Justice Manoj Jain said that they can’t pass any order at this stage.
Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who appeared for Kejriwal, told the court that the agency was “attempting a non level playing field” ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, which will be held in seven phases from April 19.
He further said that the ED has not informed Kejriwal that in what capacity he is being summoned and claimed the agency want to arrest the AAP chief.
He said that the action of ED is due to elections and called it “vague, frivolous and motivated.”