HT Digital,
New Delhi, March 27: The Delhi High Court is slated to review a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) on Thursday, seeking the removal of Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi, from his position leading the government of the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi.
The hearing is scheduled for Thursday before a bench comprising Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora.
Recently, a petition was filed alleging that Arvind Kejriwal, serving as the Chief Minister of the Government of NCT of Delhi, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on March 21. This arrest pertained to a money laundering case associated with an alleged liquor policy scam. Prior to his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate, the Delhi High Court had already refused to grant interim protection against coercive action in this specific case.
The petition noted that following Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest, Atishi, a Minister in the Government of NCT of Delhi, gave interviews to several channels on March 21. In these interviews, Atishi affirmed that Arvind Kejriwal would not resign from his position and, if necessary, would continue to govern from jail. She emphasized, “Arvind Kejriwal was the Delhi CM, is the CM, and will continue to remain the CM; he will not resign.”
Surjit Singh Yadav, represented by lawyer Shashi Ranjan Kumar Singh, filed a petition alleging that the reputation of the Government of NCT of Delhi has been adversely affected by Arvind Kejriwal’s continued tenure as chief minister following his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case related to an alleged liquor policy scam.
The petition argued that if Kejriwal remains Chief Minister of the Government of NCT of Delhi, it would not only impede the proper enforcement of the law and interfere with the justice system, but also lead to the breakdown of the constitutional machinery in the state.
The Enforcement Directorate arrested Kejriwal on March 21 in connection with the Delhi Excise Policy case, which is linked to a money laundering investigation. He was subsequently detained by the ED until March 28.
The case involves allegations of misconduct and illegal financial activities in the formulation and implementation of the Delhi Excise Policy case 2022, which was later annulled.
