The Supreme Court is set to hear the petitions filed by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren challenging their arrests by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Both cases are scheduled to be heard on Monday before the bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta, as reported by Live Law.
Arvind Kejriwal’s petition challenges the Delhi High Court’s April 9 judgment, which dismissed his writ petition against his arrest by the ED in a money laundering case linked to the now-defunct Delhi excise policy. The Aam Aadmi Party leader has been in custody since his arrest on March 21. The ED has filed its counter-affidavit, and Kejriwal has filed his rejoinder in response.
On Wednesday, Hemant Soren also approached the Supreme Court seeking relief against his arrest.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Hemant Soren, informed the Supreme Court bench that the Jharkhand High Court had reserved its judgment on Soren’s petition challenging his arrest at the end of February, but the verdict has not yet been delivered. Sibal requested an urgent hearing due to the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, expressing concern that Soren could remain in jail even after the elections are over.
In his plea before the high court, Soren claimed that his arrest was unwarranted and that his remand in the matter was arbitrary and illegal. He has filed the petition through advocate Pragya Baghel, describing his arrest as illegal and malafide. Soren has also sought interim bail.
In January, after much speculation and drama, Hemant Soren was arrested by the ED in a land scam case. However, on Saturday, the Special PMLA Court in Ranchi denied his request for interim bail to attend his uncle’s funeral.