Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has been remanded to judicial custody until April 15 by a Delhi Court in connection with an alleged excise policy scam case. The Enforcement Directorate, presenting the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader before Special CBI Judge Kaveri Baweja, did not seek further custody but rather requested judicial custody for Kejriwal.
During the hearing at Rouse Avenue Court, Additional Solicitor General SV Raju highlighted the agency’s stance, indicating that Kejriwal’s evasiveness and lack of cooperation in the investigation necessitated his custody. Raju referenced a precedent involving former Tamil Nadu minister Senthil Balaji to justify the request for judicial custody.
The Enforcement Directorate informed the court about Kejriwal’s purported non-cooperation, including failure to provide necessary information such as digital device passwords and contradictory statements during interrogation. Consequently, the federal agency sought 15 days of judicial custody for the Delhi Chief Minister, a plea that was granted by the court.
In response, Kejriwal, the national convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party, requested permission to carry three booksтАФBhagwat Gita, Ramayan, and How PM Decides by Nirja ChaudharyтАФto prison.
Preparations have commenced at Delhi’s Tihar Jail to accommodate Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Over the past four days, the jail administration has held multiple high-level meetings, with the Tihar Jail superintendent conducting another meeting on Monday.
Jail authorities have taken measures to sanitize jail number five, where Kejriwal is expected to be lodged. The Chief Minister is set to be transferred to Tihar Jail on Monday evening.
