Delhi's Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has been sent to a six-day remand by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) under Rouse Avenue Court's orders. He is set to appear before the court at 2 PM on March 28. During the remand proceedings, the ED claimed Kejriwal, along with fellow ministers and leaders from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), were key conspirators in an alleged liquor scam.
The agency informed Justice Baweja that Kejriwal had received crores as a bribe from the 'South Group' for framing and implementing the liquor policy. The Additional Solicitor General (ASG) S.V. Raju, representing the agency, disclosed that the accused from the 'South Group' were allegedly solicited for ₹100 crores to fund the Punjab elections. A law officer revealed that a bribe of ₹45 crores used in the Goa elections came through four different hawala routes, as demonstrated by the money trail. The link between the accused and the witnesses was corroborated by their call detail records (CDRs), the officer stated.
According to news agency PTI, ASG Raju told the court that they had applied for a 10-day remand. He emphasized that AAP is not just one person but a company, and every individual responsible for its management will be held accountable. Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Kejriwal, remarked that this was the first time in Indian history that a sitting Chief Minister had been arrested, and argued against the necessity of Kejriwal's arrest, urging the court not to consider remand as a routine practice and to use significant judicial discernment instead.
For the next six days, ED's custody cell will be Kejriwal's abode. The agency is expected to interrogate him and 16 eyewitnesses during this period. Kavitha is already in ED's custody and will be interrogated as well. Following the court's verdict, the ED took Arvind Kejriwal to the ED headquarters.
Kejriwal announced to news channel Aaj Tak that he would not resign from his position as Chief Minister and would continue to govern from jail, whether inside or outside, as this was the wish of the Delhi public. When asked about his health, he replied that he was doing well, expressing surprise at the speed of his arrest by the ED post the High Court's judgement and lamented not having the chance to seek blessings from his parents before the arrest. Kejriwal mentioned that the ED officers conducted themselves respectfully and did not interrogate him on the first night. He anticipates that the questioning during detention will be minimal.
