CM Kejriwal withdraws petition from SC against ED arrest

New Delhi, March 22: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who has been taken into custody by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the liquor policy case, withdrew his plea filed before the Supreme Court on Friday.

A special Bench of the top court was scheduled to hear on Friday afternoon the plea filed by Chief Minister Kejriwal seeking quashing of his arrest.

Earlier in the day, Justice Sanjiv Khanna – who returned to the Bench in a different combination – told senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi that the 3-judge special Bench will hold the sitting to hear Kejriwal’s petition as soon as other matters on board get over.

The same special Bench, comprising Justices Khanna, MM Sundresh and Bela M Trivedi, on Friday, denied any interim relief on a plea filed by BRS leader K. Kavitha against her arrest by the ED in the money laundering case linked to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy case.

Agreeing to urgently list CM Kejriwal’s plea, CJI DY Chandrachud on Friday morning told his counsel senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi: “A special bench is convening in Justice Sanjiv Khanna’s court. You can go right away and it will be taken up right away.”

Before Singhvi could mention the matter, Justice Khanna-led special Bench had risen after concluding the scheduled hearing. However, Justice Khanna assured the senior counsel, representing Kejriwal, that the special Bench would assemble as soon as other matters on board get over.

On late Thursday, Chief Minister Kejriwal knocked Supreme Court’s doors after the Delhi High Court denied him protection against "coercive action" by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which has issued multiple summons to him in connection with the excise policy case.