The Enforcement Directorate has arrested Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal In Delhi Excise Policy Scam case on Thursday evening after brief questioning. The ED officials showed up at Kejriwal’s residence for conducting searches and questioning hours after the High Court refused to protect him for ‘coercive actions’ in the ongoing case.
The federal agency has taken Kejriwal to its office in central Delhi making it the 16th arrest in the case by the ED. Kejriwal became the first sitting chief minister in the country to be arrested. The Supreme Court Hearing on the case of Delhi CM’s arrest will take place on March 22, 2024. The officials told PTI the ED would produce the chief minister before a court here on Friday and seek his custody for interrogation in the case.
Why did ED arrest Arvind Kejriwal?
The Enforcement Directorate arrested Arvind Kejriwal for his involvement in the Delhi Excise Policy case for alleged corruption and money laundering.
What happened ahead of Kejriwal’s arrest?
Hours after the High Court refused to grant protection to Kejriwal for an ‘coercive action’ by the probe agency, a team from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) promptly arrived at the chief minister’s residence official residence on Flagstaff Road in Civil Lines to conduct searches. The ED team consisted of a 10-member ED team led by an additional director.
To ensure the safety of the operation, additional personnel from the Delhi Police, Rapid Action Force (RAF), and CRPF were deployed around the chief minister’s residence.
This heightened security was implemented in response to the ED’s request for extra measures due to potential protests by supporters of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
Shortly after, the chief minister was arrested, according to officials.The ED officials are expected to present the chief minister before a court on Friday and request his custody for questioning.
A large crowd of AAP workers and leaders gathered near the chief minister’s residence, expressing their discontent with the actions taken by the ED.
Delhi Excise Policy Scam details
The Delhi Excise Policy case involves accusations of corruption and money laundering in the development and implementation of the Delhi government’s excise policy for 2021-2022, which was ultimately canceled.
AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh are currently in judicial custody related to this case.
Kejriwal’s name has been repeatedly mentioned in the charge sheets filed by the ED. The ED has filed a total of six charge sheets in this case till now and attached assets worth over Rs 128 crore.
The agency claims that the accused individuals were in contact with Kejriwal to create the excise policy, which allegedly resulted in ‘undue benefits’ to them in return. In exchange, they are said to have paid kickbacks to the AAP.
Who is next Delhi Chief Minister?
Arvind Kejriwal will remain as Delhi Chief Minister until he is convicted in the Delhi Excise Policy case and jailed for two years.
Delhi Minister Atishi on Thursday right after Kejriwal’s arrest told reporters that Kejriwal “will continue as the chief minister of Delhi. If need be, he will run the government from jail.”
Earlier, leaders including Lalu Yadav, Jayalalithaa, and Hemant Soren were also arrested while they were the chief ministers of their respective states, they resigned before they were taken into custody by probe agencies.
(With the inputs of Outlook India).
