- Monday, May 20, 2024
A court in Delhi on April 1 extended the judicial custody of the chief minister of Delhi for another two weeks in connection with an alleged liquor policy scam.
By: Shubham Ghosh
THE judicial custody of Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi chief minister of the north Indian state of Delhi and leader of the opposition Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), was on Monday (1) extended by two weeks. The 55-year-old leader, who was arrested last month in connection to corruption in his government’s liquor policy, told reporters as he was produced before the Delhi Rouse Avenue Court that what prime minister Narendra Modi was doing was not good for the country.
Kejriwal was produced before special judge Kaveri Baweja in a crowded courtroom.
Also among those present were some AAP ministers and Sunita Kejriwal, wife of the chief minister.
Read: No relief for Kejriwal as court extends his custody by 2 weeks
Following his arrest on March 21 by economic crime-fighting agency Enforcement Directorate (ED), he was sent to the agency’s custody till March 28.
The custody was again extended by four days till April 1.
The first phase of the Indian general election will kick off on April 19.
The agency, which had sent Kejriwal several summons that he evaded, has accused the latter of being involved in the entire conspiracy of the scam — in drafting and implementation of the policy and favouring the quid pro quo getting kickbacks and using the money to run the campaign for the election in Goa in 2022.
Read: UN reacts to Kejriwal’s arrest: ‘We hope that in India…’
The arrest of Kejriwal has been condemned by the opposition parties and brought together the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance, which was making headlines recently more over its differences than unity.
Supporters of the alliance staged a mega rally in Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan, accusing Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party of targeting the opposition by using the central investigative bodies.
The BJP has denied the allegations and counter-accused that the protest rally was not about saving the economy but “a family” and “hide corruption”. The rally saw the presence of veteran Indian National Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and Sunita Kejriwal.
