The Supreme Court on Tuesday questioned the Enforcement Directorate (ED) over the delay in the probe against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the money laundering case registered in the connection with scrapped Delhi liquor policy.
The Court asked the agency to produce three volumes of case file to check the investigating officer’s notes in the case. Hearing Kejriwal’s plea challenging his arrest, a bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta was given a note by Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju, appearing for the ED, in which he contradicted the submission of Kejriwal that the statements of approvers were suppressed by the probe agency.
Hearing Kejriwal’s interim bail plea, the bench said they are considering interim bail plea since it is elections, however, it made it clear they do not want the chief minister to visit office or perform official duties.
The bench said they don’t want Kejriwal’s interference in the government’s functioning. However, advocate Abhishek Singhvi appearing for Kejriwal said the CM would not sign on any files, with the condition that the Delhi Lieutenant Governor will not stop any work on the ground that the CM has not signed any file,
The bench asked ED to produce three volumes of case file—One before Sarath Reddy’s arrest till his statement under section 164 CrPC, the second one before Manish Sisodia’s arrest and after he was arrested, and the third one before Kejriwal’s arrest—to see the officer’s notes.
It questioned the ED on the time taken to probe the case and noted that the agency has taken two years to unearth something. The bench also asked why relevant direct questions were not put to witnesses and accused in the case.
Meanwhile, the Apex Court reserved its order on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s plea challenging his arrest by the ED in the money laundering case linked to liquor scam.The court did not pronounce any order on Tuesday and reserved the verdict. The top court is likely to hear the case on Thursday or next week.