Arvind Kejriwal’s court detention has been prolonged till April 23 in the liquor policy issue
The money laundering case involving the purported discrepancies in the excise policy has led to the extension of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s judicial detention till April 23 by Rouse Avenue Court in Delhi on Monday.
On the day that his judicial detention expired, Kejriwal appeared via video conference before Special Judge Kaveri Baweja.
The court further said that BRS leader K Kavitha, a co-accused in the case, would no longer be in judicial custody as of April 23.
In relation to the case, Kejriwal—who also serves as the national convener of the Aam Aadmi Party—was taken into custody by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 21 after he repeatedly ignored summonses.
According to the ED, the Delhi Chief Minister accepted bribes totaling Rs 100 crore and played a dual role in the purported excise policy scandal. The funds were purportedly used for the party’s Goa election campaign.
The Supreme Court requested the Enforcement Directorate’s answer earlier today about Arvind Kejriwal’s appeal contesting his arrest and detention on March 21 in connection with a money laundering case involving purported anomalies in the creation and execution of the now-cancelled Delhi excise policy.
The ED was notified by a bench consisting of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta to respond to Kejriwal’s petition by April 24. The subject was scheduled for a further hearing on April 29.
Kejriwal filed a petition with the top court on April 9 after the Delhi High Court denied his request to avoid being arrested and being placed under ED custody. The investigative agency’s conduct was deemed appropriate by the top court, which upheld his detention, given that he had ignored many summonses.
Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party claims that the detention under the strict Prevention of Money Laundering Act was the result of a “biggest political conspiracy” by the governing BJP in order to prevent him from running for office in the Lok Sabha elections.
