On 28th March, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo and Chief Minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, will be produced before the Rouse Avenue Court as the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) custody ends. Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is reportedly set to seek Kejriwal’s custody in the now-scrapped Liquor Policy scam probe. Notably, the CBI initiated the investigation at the request of Delhi LG in 2022 after the Chief Secretary flagged anomalies in the liquor policy. ED later initiated a money laundering probe into the matter.
#BREAKING | #DelhiLiquorPolicyCase: Arvind Kejriwal faces mounting trouble, CBI is all set to seek custody of the Delhi CM after ED
— Republic (@republic) March 28, 2024
Tune in for the latest updates: https://t.co/JU7FOwLVG8#DelhiLiquorScam #LiquorPolicyScam pic.twitter.com/M4ef4MLShE
Reports suggest he will be produced before the court at around 2 PM. Meanwhile, a two-judge bench comprising Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora in Delhi High Court will hear a PIL to remove Kejriwal from the CM post. Delhi Police has increased security outside the residence of Arvind Kejriwal given the upcoming court hearing.
CBI has named 14 people, including former Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, Manish Sisodia, in the matter. Sisodia is currently lodged in Tihar jail. Kejriwal has been in ED custody since 21st March when the investigation agency arrested him. He was produced before the court the next day, from where he was sent to ED custody till 28th March.
Earlier, the Delhi High Court refused to provide interim relief to Kejriwal and issued a notice to ED. The matter will be heard on 3rd April. Kejriwal had appealed in the high court against his arrest.
On 27th March, Kejriwal’s wife, Sunita Kejriwal, appeared on camera for the second time to give a message from Kejriwal from jail. She claimed that he would reveal the money of the liquor scam in court on 28th March.
Meanwhile, a US State Department spokesperson once again pontificated, saying that the US is keeping an eye on Kejriwal’s matter. He added that they were aware of the allegations levelled by the Congress party that the Income Tax Department had frozen their bank accounts for political reasons. US’s comments came hours after India strongly objected to State Department meddling with Indian affairs in Kejriwal’s matter. The Ministry of External Affairs is yet to issue any statement on the second statement by the State Department despite India’s objections.
#WATCH | On India summons US diplomat over comments on Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal's arrest and freezing of Congress bank accounts, US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller says, "We continue to follow these actions closely, including the arrest of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal.… pic.twitter.com/dWSDumsZXf
— ANI (@ANI) March 27, 2024
ED arrested Arvind Kejriwal in liquor policy scam
On 21st March, ED went to Arvind Kejriwal’s residence in the evening for questioning. Later, he was arrested by the investigating agency in the Delhi Excise Policy Scam. Kejriwal was presented in the court the next day where ED got his custody till 28th March. AAP has claimed that Kejriwal’s arrest was politically motivated and illegal. However, his appeal in the court for interim relief was rejected. In November 2021, the Delhi Government introduced a new liquor policy. In June 2022, the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee filed a complaint against the policy. In July 2022, the Chief Secretary of Delhi flagged the anomalies in the policy. Delhi LG requested CBI to initiate a probe and ED joined the investigation by registering a matter under PMLA. Since then, multiple arrests have been made including Manish Sisodia.
