In a major development, the Enforcement directorate has informed Supreme Court today that personal chats between Arvind Kejriwal and hawala operators have been discovered by them.
“We have just arrested the hawala operator..Kejriwal had destroyed many phones, recovery has been made from hawala operators now..”, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told a bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta.
This revelation was made when Justice Khanna asked the ED to put on record all material relied by them post their judgment in Manish Sisodia’s case.
“Now we have found chats between Arvind Kejriwal and the hawala operator…personal chats..”, ASG SV Raju told the bench.
Senior Advocate AM Singhvi objected to the ED’s submission saying, “This is unfair..this information is being given now at 4:30 PM, this is suppression of evidence”.
The submission was made during a hearing on Arvind Kejriwal’s petition challenging the validity of his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in the case.
A top court bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta reserved its judgement after hearing senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi and Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, who appeared for Kejriwal and the Enforcement Directorate, respectively.
“Arguments heard. Judgement reserved. Notwithstanding the same, and without prejudice to rights and contentions, the appellant can move the trial court for grant of bail in accordance with law,” the bench said in its order.
On May 10, Supreme Court of India had granted interim bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal allowing him to campaign for Aam Aadmi Party in the General Elections, 2024.
Kejriwal’s interim bail is a “Slap on the system”
Yesterday, Enforcement Directorate informed court that post his release on interim bail, Kejriwal made statements in public which are a “slap on the system”.
A division bench hearing Kejriwal’s plea against ED arrest was told, “Court said he will not discuss his role in the case. He is saying, “they say I have to go back to jail in 20 days, if you vote for broom then I will not have to go to jail…”.”
The Delhi chief minister was arrested on March 21 in the money laundering case. He was granted interim bail from May 10 to June 1 for campaigning in the Lok Sabha elections by the Supreme Court. The top court has ordered him to surrender on June 2.
Kejriwal is the Kingpin of Excise Policy Case
The Enforcement Directorate has filed its charge sheet against Arvind Kejriwal and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in the alleged irregularities in the Delhi excise policy 2021-22, making it first political party ever to be named as accused in a charge sheet.
This charge sheet is the eighth in the series filed by the ED under PMLA in the excise case since November 2022.
The ED alleged that Kejriwal was the kingpin and the key conspirator of the excise scam who demanded Rs 100 crore as AAP National Convenor from co-accused. The Delhi High Court had on April 9 upheld his arrest as he was the National Convenor of AAP which allegedly used proceeds of the crime in the 2022 Goa assembly polls.
An official familiar with the development said, “A detailed prosecution complaint (or charge sheet) has been filed based on irrefutable evidence that shows that Kejriwal is the key conspirator who used his position as the CM of Delhi to facilitate the offence of money laundering punishable u/s 4 of PMLA (prevention of money laundering act) by the ‘company’ i.e. AAP”.
