NEW DELHI: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who has been remanded to the custody of the Enforcement Directorate till March 28, will be grilled by the central probe agency in connection with the excise policy case on Saturday. As mandated by the court, the AAP chief will be interrogated on camera. Kejriwal was on Friday remanded to the ED custody. The order was passed late Friday by Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court, hours after the Delhi Chief Minister withdrew a Supreme Court plea challenging his arrest in the alleged liquor policy scam case.
In its order, the court allowed the agency to interrogate Kejriwal regarding his alleged role in the liquor scam and confront him with data obtained from digital devices and other materials related to the investigation. The court also asked the agency to trace the ”proceeds of crime”.
On-Camera Interrogation
According to the order of the Rouse Avenue Court, the interrogation of Arvind Kejriwal will take place in a location covered by CCTV coverage and the recording will be preserved.
Special Diet For Arvind Kejriwal
The court also accepted Kejriwal’s demand for medicines and a special diet (home-cooked food) citing high blood sugar. The court approved this demand, stating that necessary medicines and food prescribed by the doctor should be provided to him. If the ED cannot arrange the specified diet, then home-cooked food should be provided to him, it said. The central agency had sought custody of Kejriwal for 10 days, stating it needed time to complete its investigation and confront the Aam Aadmi Party leader with other arrested accused in the case.
Nod To Meet Family Members, Lawyers
Kejriwal, who became the first sitting Chief Minister in independent India to be arrested on Thursday, has been permitted to meet his wife Sunita and his secretary Bibhav Kumar for half an hour between 6 pm and 7 pm. He can also meet his advocates Mohammad Irshad and Vivek Jain during the stipulated period.
Kejriwal Kingpin Of Liquor Scam: ED
During the court proceedings on Friday, Kejriwal was depicted by the central agency as the ”linchpin” and ”pivotal conspirator” in the purported scam. Additionally, the agency labelled him as the intermediary between the ‘south group’ and other detainees, including former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, arrested last year.
The alleged malfeasance, enveloping the excise policy case of 2022, purportedly involved funds exceeding Rs 600 crore, with a portion allegedly disbursed by the ‘south group’, reportedly encompassing Bharat Rashtra Samithi leader K Kavitha, apprehended last week.
Despite the gravity of the accusations levelled against him, Kejriwal vehemently refutes all charges. Notably, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has claimed that the ED has yet to produce any evidence of the alleged monetary transactions.
In his initial response following the arrest, Kejriwal said that his life is dedicated to the nation. Simultaneously, his wife, Sunita Kejriwal, echoed a similar sentiment through a social media appeal on X, highlighting her husband’s unwavering commitment to serving the country.
Kejriwal was represented by legal luminaries including senior advocates Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Vikram Chaudhari, and Ramesh Gupta, alongside Advocates Rajat Bharadwaj, Mudit Jain, and Mohd Irshad. Conversely, the ED was represented by ASG SV Raju and Special Counsel Zoheb Hossain.
Denial Of Allegations By AAP
The AAP vehemently contests the allegations, citing the lack of substantial evidence even after a two-year investigation. Kejriwal’s lawyer, Madan Lal, reiterated the party’s stance, emphasizing the absence of any incriminating evidence linking Kejriwal to the purported wrongdoing.
Post the court ruling, Atishi, a prominent AAP figure, expressed discontent with the judicial decision, vowing to explore all legal avenues to challenge the verdict. The party perceives the situation as a targeted attack on opposition parties, questioning the ethical underpinnings of the legal proceedings.
Political Backlash Over Kejriwal’s Arrest
Criticism of Kejriwal’s arrest reverberated across political circles, with leaders from various parties condemning the BJP-led government’s actions. Delhi Minister Kailash Gahlot questioned the legitimacy of the charges, labelling the case as a political vendetta aimed at hindering Kejriwal’s political influence. Furthermore, prominent political figures such as Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Congress leader Sachin Pilot denounced the arrest, alleging institutional manipulation to serve political agendas.
The arrest of Kejriwal has not only sparked domestic uproar but has also garnered international attention, with support pouring in from various quarters. AAP leaders and supporters took to the streets in protest, denouncing what they perceived as an ”assault on democracy.”
INDIA Bloc Moves EC
Amidst mounting pressure, INDIA bloc leaders approached the Election Commission, decrying the arrests as an attempt to stifle democratic dissent. The bloc emphasized the need for safeguarding democratic principles and protecting the rights of elected officials. The letter submitted to the poll body by INDIA on Friday asserted that “arrests, of individuals holding Constitutional posts are intended to have a stifling and deleterious effect on the democratic functioning of the affairs of their respective states, as well as the parties themselves”.
The letter further read, “It is a move that is deliberately designed to demotivate and demoralise the members of these parties and the opposition at large. These arrested individuals, one of whom is the National Convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party, and the other is the Working President of Jharkhand, Mukti Morcha, are elected leaders of our country who have championed the cause of those on the margins of our society, including our brothers and sisters belonging to the tribal communities.”
Arvind Kejriwal was arrested Thursday evening hours after the Delhi High Court refused to grant him protection from arrest. A team of 12 officials rushed to his residence, where they questioned him, seized documents and other materials, and then, at 9 pm, arrested the three-time Chief Minister.
Kejriwal has been arrested in the Delhi liquor policy scam case; the central agency has accused the AAP leader of being a “conspirator”. The ED believes the now-scrapped policy provided an impossibly high-profit margin of nearly 185 per cent for retailers and 12 per cent for wholesalers. Of the latter, six per cent was to be recovered by the AAP as bribes, which amounted to over Rs 600 crore. Nearly a third of this, the ED has alleged, was paid by a ‘south group’ that included BRS leader K Kavitha. These proceeds were then allegedly used by the AAP for election campaign expenses. Apart from Kejriwal, two prominent AAP leaders – Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia – have also been arrested in connection with this case.
Bureau Report
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