Kejriwal moves High Court

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday moved the Delhi High Court challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate and a trial court's six-day remand order in the money laundering case linked to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam. In his plea that also sought urgent hearing, Kejriwal, who was arrested by the ED on Thursday night, contended that his arrest and remand were illegal and he was entitled to be released from custody immediately.

AAP sources said Kejriwal's legal team urged the high court to hear the plea urgently, preferably on Sunday, but the court is unlikely to grant an urgent hearing. According to highly placed court sources, the plea is unlikely to be heard before March 27 as the court is closed for Holi break. The move by the chief minister came even as his wife Sunita Kejriwal in a video statement read out his message.

The message was sent from the ED custody in which the Aam Aadmi Party(AAP) chief said he cannot be kept behind bars for long and he will return soon to fulfil his promises to the people.

Amid a renewed demand by the BJP for his resignation, the CM also said he was not surprised at his arrest and that the "BJP people" need not be hated for this as they are "our brothers and sisters." While the BJP slammed Kejriwal's continuation as the chief minister despite being under arrest, saying it is the most unfortunate moment in the country's political journey and the worst kind of politics, Delhi minister Atishi targeted the ED.

Atishi claimed at a news conference that the ED has not been able to establish any money trail against any AAP leader despite multiple raids, arrests and two year-long investigations in the alleged excise policy scam. The ED on Friday had alleged that Kejriwal is the "kingpin and key conspirator" in the case.

Kejriwal's party colleague and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, meanwhile, in an interview to an agency said if his Delhi counterpart is sent to jail the AAP will approach the court seeking permission to set up his office in prison to run his government from there.

On Friday, a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act(PMLA) court had remanded Kejriwal in ED custody till March 28 "for his detailed and sustained interrogation."

The ED had arrested Kejriwal hours after the high court refused to grant him protection from coercive action by the central anti-money laundering agency. 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.

Top 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.