Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has opted to withdraw his petition from the Supreme Court challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) at his residence. This arrest is related to the Delhi excise policy case, which has been entangled with allegations of money laundering.

Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Kejriwal, informed a two-judge bench headed by Justice Sanjiv Khanna about the withdrawal of the plea. Singhvi cited the clash between the plea and the ongoing remand hearing by the ED in a trial court as the reason behind this decision. He expressed the intention to address the remand hearing and return to the Supreme Court later.

In response, Justice Khanna remarked, "You need not be present, you may go there," signalling that Kejriwal's presence at the remand hearing was necessary.

Singhvi mentioned that he would submit a letter to the apex court Registry officially withdrawing the plea.

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Earlier on the same day, the apex court had agreed to hear Kejriwal's plea against his ED arrest promptly. A special bench consisting of Justices Sanjiv Khanna, MM Sundresh, and Bela Trivedi was designated to handle the matter.

Initially, Singhvi had sought an urgent hearing before a bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud. He expressed concerns about the potential incarceration of senior leaders if legal processes continued unchecked.

Subsequently, the Chief Justice directed Singhvi to present the plea before a special three-judge bench led by Justice Sanjiv Khanna which was concurrently addressing the plea of BRS leader K Kavitha against her ED arrest in the liquor policy case.

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Kejriwal's petition arose following his arrest by the ED, stemming from the agency's ongoing investigation into alleged corruption and money laundering surrounding the formulation and implementation of Delhi's excise policy for 2021-22, a policy that was ultimately annulled. AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh are currently in judicial custody in connection with this case.

The ED has repeatedly mentioned Kejriwal in its chargesheets, alleging that he was in communication with certain individuals regarding the excise policy, leading to undue advantages for them in exchange for kickbacks paid to the party.