Arvind Kejriwal sent to CBI remand days after getting bail, AAP says "This is emergency"

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was sent to three days' CBI remand by the Rouse Avenue Court in the Delhi Excise Policy case on Wednesday.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was sent to three days' CBI remand by the Rouse Avenue Court in the Delhi Excise Policy case on Wednesday. The Delhi High Court on Tuesday stayed Kejriwal's bail order passed by the lower court on June 20, saying that the trial court should have at least recorded its satisfaction with the fulfilment of twin conditions of section 45 of Prevention of the Money Laundering Act (PMLA) before passing the impugned order.

The Central Bureau of Investigation formally arrested the Chief Minister from the courtroom, in connection with the Excise policy case, on Wednesday. Vacation Judge Amitabh Rawat of the Rouse Avenue Court after taking note of all the submissions of both sides, allowed Arvind Kejriwal to be on CBI remand till June 29.

During the remand period, the court has allowed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's wife Sunita Kejriwal to meet him for 30 minutes and his lawyer to meet him every day for 30 minutes. The court has also allowed him to carry his prescribed medicines during the remand period. Home-cooked food is also allowed during the remand period, the court said.

The Delhi Chief Minister was lodged at Tihar Jail after his arrest in the liquor policy case on March 21. He was released on interim bail by the Supreme Court on May 10 till June 1, 2024 to campaign for the Lok Sabha elections. In reaction to the Chief Minister's arrest, Arvind Kejriwal's wife Sunita Kejriwal took a dig at the Centre saying that the entire "system" is trying to ensure that her husband stays in jail, something which is not lawful but resembles "dictatorship" and "Emergency".

"Arvind Kejriwal got bail on June 20. Immediately ED got a stay. The very next day CBI made him an accused. And today he was arrested. The whole system is trying to ensure that the man does not come out of jail. This is not law. This is dictatorship, this is emergency," Sunita Kejriwal said in a post on 'X'. This came on the day when Speaker Om Birla condemned the Emergency and the house also observed a two-minute silence for the people who lost their lives during the period.

Referring to the ruling BJP government, the Aam Aadmi Party said in a post on 'X' that their "oppression" will not be able to "break" Kejriwal. "Dictator, your oppression will not be able to break Kejriwal. Seeing CM Kejriwal getting bail in a false ED case, BJP's CBI arrested CM Kejriwal. God is watching everything, truth will surely prevail," the AAP said in a post on 'X' after Kejriwal was sent on CBI remand for three days.

Earlier on Tuesday, Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party president Virendraa Sachdeva suggested Aam Aadmi Party leaders Saurabh Bharadwaj, Atishi, and Sanjay Singh to question Congress party and said that the case on which the CBI is working, was lodged by the Congress. "CBI has already interrogated Arvind Kejriwal in this case. Manish Sisodia has also been arrested by the CBI in the same case... Saurabh Bharadwaj, Atishi, and Sanjay Singh should question Congress, because the case on which the CBI is working, was lodged by the Congress. They should ask Rahul Gandhi why did they not withdraw their complaint when they formed an alliance for the elections. Does Sanjay Singh want investigative agencies to work according to him?" Sachdeva told ANI.

Sachdeva also said that residents of the national capital are not surprised at the CBI arresting Arvind Kejriwal. "CBI has arrested Arvind Kejriwal under a legal process and no Delhi resident is surprised by this arrest because the public is aware of the real character of Kejriwal. When corruption and scams have been continuously happening in the AAP government under the leadership of Kejriwal, then the law will do its job. It has become clear that the AAP leaders who are making trivial comments with a distorted mindset on the decision of the Honourable High Court have no faith in democracy and judiciary," he said in a post on 'X'.

During the hearing on Wednesday, Arvind Kejriwal himself addressed the court and said, "CBI is claiming that I have made a statement against Manish Sisodia, which is completely false. Manish Sisodia Nirdosh hai, Aam Aadmi Party Nirdosh hai. Main bhi nirdosh hun. Iss Tarah ke statements hamme media me badnam karne ke liye diye ja rahe hai (Manish Sisodia is innocent, Aam Aadmi Party is innocent. I am also innocent. Statements are being given in the media to defame us.)" He also added that "CBI sources ke hawale se media me hamme badnam kar rahe rahe hai. Inka plan hai ki media front page ye chala de ki Kejriwal ne sara thikra Manish Sisodia pe daal diya. (They are tarnishing our image in the media by using unnamed sources. Their plan is to make it headline news that Kejriwal has shifted all the blame to Manish Sisodia.)"

However, the court on this said, "Apki statement maine padh liya hai... apne aisa nahi bola hai. (I have read your statement... you have not said this.)" Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday withdrew his plea challenging the June 21 order of the Delhi High Court granting interim stay on regular bail to him in the Delhi excise policy case being probed by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED).

Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Kejriwal, said he will file a fresh petition challenging the June 25 final order of the High Court by which it has stayed the trial court order granting regular bail to Kejriwal. On Tuesday, the CBI arrested the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Kejriwal after the Vacation Judge of the Delhi Court allowed the CBI to examine or interrogate him in the courtroom so that the agency could proceed with his formal arrest.

The court also asked the CBI to place on record the material that they have for his arrest. Kejriwal was produced before the court of vacation judge Amitabh Rawat on Wednesday in compliance of the production warrant issued by the court yesterday.

During the hearing, Kejriwal's wife Sunita Kejriwal, AAP's Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh and AAP leader Dilip Pandey were present in the courtroom. CBI's Special Public Prosecutor, DP Singh, extensively argued and opposed submissions by Kejriwal's lawyer.

The advocate also moved an application seeking a supply of applications for interrogation by CBI and the order passed related to that. Yesterday, Kejriwal was in Tihar Jail and recorded his statement related to the Excise Policy case. He was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in an Excise Policy money laundering case on March 21 this year and is presently in Judicial Custody in the case.

On June 20, the trial judge granted bail to Kejriwal in the money laundering case. The next day, the ED moved an urgent petition before the High Court challenging the bail order. The High Court heard both sides extensively on the ED's application to stay the bail order and it halted the release of Kejriwal until the pronouncement of its order. (ANI)

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)