In a significant development, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has been remanded to the custody of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for seven days, till March 28, in connection with the alleged liquor policy scam case. The order was passed late Friday by Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court, hours after Kejriwal withdrew a Supreme Court plea challenging his arrest in the case.
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The central agency had sought a 10-day custody of Kejriwal, stating it needed time to complete its investigation and confront the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader with other arrested accused in the case.
During Friday’s hearing, the ED called Kejriwal the “kingpin” and “key conspirator” in the alleged scam. Contradictorily, the agency also referred to him as the “middleman” between the ‘south group’ and other accused, including former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who was arrested last year.
The agency claimed that the total proceeds of the alleged scam exceeded ₹600 crore, including ₹100 crore allegedly paid by the ‘south group,’ which the ED claims includes Bharat Rashtra Samithi leader K. Kavitha, who was arrested last week.
Kejriwal, who became the second sitting Chief Minister to be arrested in the country, spent the night at the ED’s office. He has denied all charges, and the AAP has repeatedly stated that the ED has yet to recover any of the alleged cash. Earlier on Friday, Kejriwal withdrew a bail application filed in the Supreme Court, just before the Bench at the apex court began proceedings in the case. The alleged liquor policy scam has been a significant political issue, with the opposition accusing the AAP government of corruption and the AAP claiming that the cases are a “witch-hunt” by the BJP-led central government. As the investigation continues, all eyes will be on the ED’s custody of Kejriwal and the potential revelations that may emerge in the coming days.
