Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today challenged in the Delhi High Court his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case related to the now-scrapped liquor policy.

The bench of Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma passed over the matter for a hearing later in the day after Kejriwal's counsel, Senior Advocate Abhishek Singhvi questioned the agency's "delaying tactics".

Appearing for the ED, Additional Solicitor General SV Raju said the agency got a copy of Mr Kejriwal's petition only yesterday and sought three weeks' time to file a detailed reply.

Singhvi responded, "The person has been jail. On March 23, the petition was filed. Defects were cured later. I am sure Mr Raju does not want us to serve the defective copy to him. Defects were cleared late last night and we shared the petition with him then."

Justice Sharma then said she will seek a reply and give a short date for the hearing on interim relief.

Mr Singhvi said he has challenged the remand that ends tomorrow. I am asking the ladyship to decide the basis of the remand. That requires no reply from anyone.

"This delaying tactics, I am asking my ladyships to decide it today. There are weighty reasons why a matter which challenges the foundation of the remand requires a hearing today. It is my ladyship's prerogative to allow it or deny it. My ladyship may take a call on that. Therefore, there is no question of reply," he said.

Mr Kejriwal has said in his petition that his arrest violated his human rights and that the ED has failed to prove the crime. "Arrest without interrogation shows that the current action is politically motivated," he has said, demanding immediate release from jail and cancellation of remand, as reported by NDTV.

The court then said it will hear the matter later in the day after finishing the supplementary list.

When the court started hearing the matter, Mr Singhvi said the ED's request for three weeks' time is "completely mala fide". "Even one day incarceration is an issue of fundamental right," he said.