In plea, Arora cites Kejriwal case ruling to challenge arrest

Chandigarh: In a twist almost scripted by irony, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Raman Arora is now leaning on none other than former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal 's own landmark Supreme Court battle to defend himself against the AAP govt in Punjab.

In his petition before the Punjab and Haryana high court, questioning his fresh arrest by Punjab Police , Arora — who is AAP MLA from Jalandhar Central — argued that his detention in FIR No 253, dated Aug 23, 2025, registered at Rama Mandi, Jalandhar, is "illegal" and a case of vindictive misuse of state machinery.

To strengthen his case, Arora cited the Supreme Court's ruling in ‘Arvind Kejriwal vs Central Bureau of Investigation (2024)'—a judgment which granted relief to his party chief by holding that arrest powers must be exercised sparingly and only when absolutely necessary.

In the case, the apex court observed that a premier investigative agency like the CBI must "not only be above board but must also seem to be so". In his plea, Arora alleged that no "grounds of arrest" in any form were supplied to him before or at the time of his arrest by Punjab Police in the fresh case. Taking cognisance of his petition, the court on Tuesday asked Punjab Police and state authorities to file a reply on Arora's contentions. The matter was adjourned to Sept 16 for further hearing. In his plea, Arora claimed that the state concealed the registration of this FIR during earlier proceedings, and his arrest was deliberately timed on Sept 3, just after he was granted bail in another case, FIR No. 23, dated May 14, 2025. He alleged that this was done with "mala fides" to defeat the bail order and keep him behind bars.

Calling the action a violation of Articles 21 and 22 of the Constitution and Section 47 of BNS, Arora sought the quashing of the Sept 4, 2025 orders granting his police remand. He accused AAP leadership of targeting him due to internal rifts, claiming he is being implicated in "one case after another" to compel him to step down as MLA.

He also alleged "concealment of FIRs, misuse of police powers, and contemptuous affidavits" filed before the court. Arora detailed his deteriorating health, citing Grade III benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH)—a severe condition often requiring surgery—arguing that custodial harassment posed grave risks to his well-being.

"Arora is being harassed and implicated in criminal cases one after the other on account of differences within the party and with the intention to pressurise him to resign as MLA. The entire state machinery is being used to harass him," the petition before the high court said.