New Delhi, India

Enforcement Directorate (ED) team on Thursday (Mar 21) evening arrested Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal from his residence. Around 11:00 pm (IST), the officials took the Delhi chief minister to ED Headquarters after hours of questioning in the alleged excise policy scam, where he spent the night. 

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Kejriwal's medical test was conducted at the ED office, media reports said. 

The ED is pursuing Kejriwal in two cases, 1) Delhi liquor excise policy case, and 2) Another case related to alleged kickbacks in a Delhi Jal Board contract to a private firm. 

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While speaking outside the chief minister's residence, AAP leader Atishi said, "We have received news that ED has arrested Arvind Kejriwal." 

"We have always said that Arvind Kejriwal will run the govt from jail. He will remain the CM of Delhi. We have filed a case in the Supreme Court. Our lawyers are reaching SC. We will demand SC have an urgent hearing tonight," she added. 

Reports emerged that Kejriwal's legal team moved the Supreme Court but as quoted by the news agency PTI, his lawyer and senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi said that the Delhi CM will not seek an urgent hearing on his plea for protection in SC tonight.  

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It is expected that India's top court will hear a plea on Friday (Mar 22).  

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This comes hours after the Delhi High Court denied the AAP chief relief against the agency's summons in an excise policy case. 

A Delhi High Court bench of Justices Suresh Kumar Kait and Manoj Jain refused to grant Kejriwal any protection from coercive action in the case. 

During the hearing, Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who appeared for Kejriwal, submitted that the summons issued under Section 50 do not even reveal whether the person summoned is a witness, suspect or accused. 

He said his client has apprehension that he would be arrested "for political purposes" as it has come just days ahead of the Lok Sabha election in India.  

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Last week, the ED issued a summon to Kejriwal, asking him to appear before it on Thursday. The law enforcement agency issued a total of nine summon dates to Kejriwal, which were on November 2, December 22, January 3, January 18, February 2, February 19, February 26, March 4 and March 21. 

The officials said the agency team went to the chief minister's residence to serve him summons in the case. The team also informed the staff at the chief minister's residence that it had a search warrant. 

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What is the case all about? 

The case pertains to alleged corruption and money laundering in formulating and executing the Delhi government's excise policy. 

The Delhi government had implemented the policy on November 17, 2021. It was, however, scrapped at the end of September 2022 amid allegations of corruption. 

According to the investigating agencies, the profit margins of wholesalers were increased from 5 per cent to 12 per cent under the new policy. 

The agencies have alleged that the new policy resulted in cartelisation and those ineligible for liquor licences were favoured for monetary benefits. 

AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh are in judicial custody in the case. Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) lawmaker K Kavitha was also arrested recently. 

However, the Delhi government has denied any wrongdoing and said the new policy would have led to an increase in Delhi's revenue share. 

(With inputs from agencies)