Abhishek Manu Singhvi argued on behalf of Kejriwal

High Court expressed confidence in material collected by ED

Section 70 cannot arise at all: Singhvi

The Delhi High Court has rejected the petition of the Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The verdict was passed by a single bench consisting of Justice Swarana Kant Sharma, passed the verdict. “The material collected by the ED reveals Arvind Kejriwal conspired and was actively involved in use and concealment of proceeds of crime,” the court’s order mentioned. 

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Senior Counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi had earlier argued on behalf of Kejriwal. “Section 70 cannot arise at all. It is a specific provision to impute vicarious liability on ‘companies’. When AAP is registered under the Representation of People Act, a different statute which differently recognised the party cannot be subsumed in PMLA. There is no evidence against him that he is involved in the offence of money laundering. It is preposterous to say that the chief minister of Delhi will be handling hawala transactions. I want to ask how awareness of conspiracy becomes a valid ground for the offence of Section 3 under PMLA. Just because you are aware of the conspiracy you are accused of PMLA,” Snaghvi mentioned while presenting his case. 

The ED however maintained that there was no connection between Kejriwal’s arrest and the upcoming election.