New Delhi: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday moved a fresh plea in Delhi High Court seeking no coercive action against him.  

The division bench, led by Justice Suresh Kumar Kait, is set to hear Kejriwal's fresh plea this morning.

The Delhi Chief Minister on Wednesday informed the Delhi HC that he won't appear before the Enforcement Directorate as there is a “clear intent” to arrest him with elections around the corner. 

Kejriwal was recently summoned by ED under Section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in the Delhi Jal Board case. Earlier, he skipped nine summonses in the Delhi Excise Policy case. 

His reply came after the court asked the CM why he is not appearing before the investigating agency for questioning in an excise policy-linked money-laundering case, as it sought the agency’s stand on the AAP leader’s plea challenging the summonses issues against him.

On Wednesday, during the hearing in the related matter before the Delhi High Court, his lawyers stated that they have apprehension that ED will arrest him and he is ready to appear if he is given protection.

According to the ED's last summon in the Excise Case, the financial probe agency has called him to appear before it on March 21, 2024.

On Wednesday, the Delhi High Court sought the response of the ED on a plea filed by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal challenging the summons issued to him in connection with the Delhi excise policy case.

During the hearing, the bench asked the Kejriwal lawyers, "Why don't you appear before the Enforcement Directorate?" In the reply, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi said that AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh were also arrested by the agency. 

“We have an apprehension that ED will arrest him, but he is ready to appear if he is given protection.”

Kejriwal through plea has sought, the declaration of section (2) (s) of PMLA to be ultra vires, unconstitutional and arbitrary insofar to the extent that it is construed to include a political party within its ambit and sweep.

Kejriwal plea further stated that the present petition is being filed in extremely urgent and emergent circumstances where such arbitrary procedure under PMLA is sought to be employed to create a non-level playing field for the impending general elections scheduled to be held from April 19, 2024, and to skew the electoral process in the favour of the ruling party at the Centre that controls the ED through Ministry of Finance.