No court relief to Arvind Kejriwal on plea against arrest, next hearing on April 3

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Mar 27, 2024: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday refused interim relief to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who was arrested last week in connection with liquor policy case. The court observed that the orders cannot be passed without hearing the Enforcement Directorate’s argument.

 

The high court, which was hearing Arvind Kejriwal’s petition challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate, issued a notice on the Delhi Chief Minister’s plea for interim relief. The Enforcement Directorate has been asked to file their response by April 2.

The lawyers appearing for Arvind Kejriwal had sought the urgent release of the Delhi Chief Minister, who is in Enforcement Directorate custody till March 28, and had sought an immediate hearing on the matter.

However, the Enforcement Directorate opposed the immediate hearing and sought time to file a reply to both the application and the writ petition by Arvind Kejriwal. Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, appearing for the Enforcement Directorate, said that they were served with a copy of the petition on Tuesday and needed time to file a response.

The High Court observed noted that granting interim relief to Arvind Kejriwal in the present case would amount to granting final relief.

"This Court remains conscious of the fact that to reach a conclusion as to whether the petitioner herein is entitled to immediate release or not, this Court will necessarily have to decide the issues raised in the main petition, as those issues are the edifice of arguments of the learned Senior Counsel for the petitioner seeking immediate release of the petitioner," the court order stated.

The High Court observed, "While hearing and deciding a case, the court is duty-bound to hear both sides fairly, keeping in mind the principles of natural justice."

The court said that the response by the Enforcement Directorate is "essential and crucial" to decide the case and asked the Enforcement Directorate to file a reply by April 2.

The next hearing on the matter will be on April 3.

Courtesy: India Today