Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court has postponed its decision regarding the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) supplementary chargesheet against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in a money laundering case connected to the excise policy case.
Special Judge Kaveri Baweja announced that the pronouncement of the order will be deferred until July 9. Previously, the court had reserved the order after hearing submissions from the ED.
During the court proceedings, advocate Zoheb Hossain, representing the ED, argued that both AAP and Arvind Kejriwal are interconnected. He noted that a political party is an association of individuals, a concept supported by several judgments that trace its formation to a right conferred under Article 19(1)(c) of the Indian Constitution.
On a related note, the Rouse Avenue Court recently sent Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to judicial custody until June 5, 2024. This action followed Kejriwal's surrender to Tihar Jail as directed by the Supreme Court. Duty Judge Sanjeev Aggarwal observed that Kejriwal had complied with the Supreme Court's directives by surrendering to Tihar Jail.
The court was considering an ED application seeking Kejriwal's judicial custody, which had been pending due to Kejriwal being on interim bail. The ED's application, filed on May 20, requested an extension of Kejriwal's judicial custody by fourteen days. This request came while Kejriwal was out on interim bail granted by the Supreme Court.
On June 1, the court reserved its decision on a new interim bail plea filed by Kejriwal, which sought a seven-day bail extension for medical reasons related to the excise policy money laundering case. Although Kejriwal's lawyer requested an immediate decision, the court set June 5 for the pronouncement of the order on this plea.
Earlier, on April 9, the High Court dismissed Kejriwal's plea for release from jail, rejecting his claim of political vendetta in the context of the approaching Lok Sabha elections.
The High Court stated that Kejriwal's non-attendance at nine ED summons over six months undermined any claims of special privilege as Chief Minister, suggesting that his arrest was a foreseeable outcome of his lack of cooperation.
Kejriwal was arrested by the ED on March 21 as part of a money laundering investigation into alleged irregularities in the now-cancelled Delhi excise policy for 2021-22.
The case has seen significant developments, with Kejriwal's judicial custody and the deferment of the chargesheet's cognizance adding to the ongoing legal proceedings.
As the situation unfolds, the upcoming decisions on Kejriwal's judicial custody and interim bail plea will be crucial in determining the next steps in the excise policy case.
The political implications of these legal battles are significant, particularly with the Lok Sabha elections on the horizon, making the outcomes of these proceedings highly anticipated.
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