Kejriwal remanded to judicial custody until April 15 in liquor policy case

A Delhi court ordered Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to judicial custody until April 15 in connection with a money laundering case tied to a defunct liquor policy, just ahead of the country’s Lok Sabha elections starting in less than three weeks.

Following the conclusion of his custody by the Enforcement Directorate, Kejriwal was presented in the court of Special Judge Kaveri Baweja.

The investigating agency requested 15-day judicial custody for Kejriwal and informed the court that they might need additional custody at a later stage.

Additional Solicitor General S. V. Raju, representing the Enforcement Directorate, stated that during custody, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader has been “non-cooperative” and “evasive” in his responses. Raju added that Kejriwal deliberately withheld passwords to electronic devices. Before his court appearance, Kejriwal remarked to reporters that the actions taken against him, referring to his arrest, were not beneficial for the country, indirectly addressing the Prime Minister.

AAP ministers Atishi, Saurabh Bhardwaj, and Kejriwal’s wife Sunita Kejriwal attended the court proceedings. In response to the court’s decision, AAP leader Dilip Pandey remarked that Arvind Kejriwal has been sent to judicial custody, and the fact that the Enforcement Directorate did not oppose it indicates that the intention was not for interrogation. The purpose was to arrest Arvind Kejriwal just before the Lok Sabha elections and disrupt the INDIA alliance.

He commented, “The entire country is observing how Delhi Police, ED, CBI, and IT are seemingly operating under the directives of BJP.”

Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court declined to entertain a plea requesting to prevent the chief minister from issuing orders while in the custody of the Enforcement Directorate in the money laundering case.

The court instructed the central agency to provide a note to the special judge handling the excise policy case and directed the judge to issue appropriate orders in accordance with the law. “This court directs respondent number 2 (ED) to bring its comments to the notice of the said judge who is directed to pass appropriate orders in accordance with the law. It is clarified that this court has not commented on the locus standi of the petition and the same is left open,” the court said in its order.

The Enforcement Directorate informed the court that it is not furnishing any infrastructure or apparatus to the chief minister for issuing orders.

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