'Dictatorship crossed all limits', says Kejriwal's wife as hearing on ED plea begins in Delhi HC

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's wife Sunita Kejriwal has expressed her disappointment at the Delhi High Court's decision to stay the AAP convenor's bail, stating that "dictatorship has crossed all limits". 

Accusing the Enforcement Directorate (ED) of behaving as if Kejriwal was a criminal, Sunita said the agency approached the High Court even before the Chief Minister's bail order was uploaded. 

Speaking in south Delhi's Bhogal where Delhi Water Minister Atishi began an indefinite hunger strike to get more water from Haryana, Sunita said she hoped that the court would do justice. 

She also conveyed her husband's message on the water crisis plaguing the national capital. "Kejriwal says that 'when I see on tv, the way Delhi people are suffering due to water scarcity, it hurts me. I hope Atishi's 'tapasya' will succeed and Delhi people get relief. I wish all the best to Atishi, may God protect her," Sunita added.

The Delhi High Court on Friday put on hold the trial court order granting bail to the chief minister till it hears the Enforcement Directorate's plea challenging the relief granted to him in the money laundering case linked to the alleged excise scam.

Meanwhile, the hearing has begun on the ED plea before a bench of Justices Sudhir Kumar Jain and Ravinder Dudeja.

Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, appearing for the ED, called the trial court order perverse. He argued that the agency did not get a proper opportunity for argument before the trial court. 

"As it passed the order, the trial court said the records were voluminous. The matter was decided without going through documents filed by both sides and without giving the probe agency an opportunity. How can the court say whether it was relevant or not without going through the documents," ASG Raju argued. The ED has also sought a stay in the trial court's order. 

Thereafter, the court will hear arguments on behalf of Kejriwal's lawyers.