New Delhi: Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi who was arrested in the liquor policy scam, lashed out at the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday, stating, "The sole purpose of my arrest is to defame and incapacitate me." Kejriwal was arrested by the ED last month in the alleged liquor policy scam case and has been sent to Delhi's Tihar Jail until April 15. His bail hearing is currently underway in court. Prior to this, Kejriwal had spent 10 days in ED custody.
A few weeks before the Lok Sabha elections, the arrest of Arvind Kejriwal, the chief of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), had sparked widespread protests. People claimed that the ruling BJP was attempting to silence opposition parties. He accused an agency of trying to prevent him from participating in the elections. He said, "There is an attempt to break us."
Arvind Kejriwal's Arguments
Currently, Arvind Kejriwal is lodged in Delhi's Tihar Jail. He has been remanded in custody until April 15. Abhishek Manu Singhvi, the lawyer representing the Chief Minister, argued in court, "The ED has no evidence against Arvind Kejriwal." Singhvi stated, "When Kejriwal was arrested, no statement was taken from him at his residence... The ED should have done this before arresting him."
Singhvi also mentioned the statements used against Chief Minister Kejriwal. He said, "There was nothing against me in the first statement. Then some people were arrested, and for the first time, they gave statements against me and took bail without any objection. They were granted pardon and became prosecution witnesses." He added, "This is a completely biased approach. This is not how criminal law is enforced."
This point was also raised on Tuesday when the Supreme Court granted bail to AAP MLA Sanjay Singh, who was arrested in October in the same case. The court noted that the accused, Sanjay Singh, was not named by the prosecution witness Dinesh Arora in his initial statements. However, Sanjay Singh was arrested based on a subsequent statement given by Dinesh Arora. It is worth noting that Dinesh was granted bail last August.
Singhvi raised the point that when there was nothing against Kejriwal in Reddy's 11 statements, his arrest solely based on one statement is shameful. He also stated that Reddy's remaining statements also fall within the purview of the law.
The ED has termed Arvind Kejriwal as the "prime conspirator" in the alleged liquor scam, and he is currently lodged in Delhi's Tihar Jail. After spending 10 days in the agency's custody, he was sent to judicial custody on Tuesday until April 15. The ED has not sought further custody but has stated that his release could impede the investigation. This is a serious allegation, and the court's decision in this case will be significant.
