A Delhi court today extended the judicial custody of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal till July 3 in connection with a money laundering case linked to the alleged excise scam. This extension follows the court’s hearing of Kejriwal’s bail plea on Wednesday, where the Enforcement Directorate (ED) emphasized the centrality of Kejriwal’s role in the matter.

Additional Solicitor General (ASG) SV Raju, representing the ED, stated, “The matter boils down to his role.” He highlighted that the allegations of Kejriwal demanding a Rs 100 crore bribe were initially brought forth by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), not the ED.

Kejriwal’s defense argued that despite multiple chargesheets and arrests in the case, he has not been formally accused. “Various chargesheets have been filed, and in none of them was he made an accused. Despite several people having been arrested in the earlier stages, nothing was about him,” Kejriwal’s lawyer contended.

Additional Sessions Judge Mukesh Kumar, addressing the ED’s request for more time to file a reply, adjourned the matter. The court also scheduled the hearing of an application by Kejriwal, seeking permission for his wife, Sunita Kejriwal, to join via video conference the proceedings of the medical board evaluating his health condition. The judge directed jail authorities to respond to this request.

Judge Kumar emphasized the importance of the accused’s convenience over the probe agency’s, stating, “The accused is in judicial custody (JC), and not in your (ED’s) custody. If he wants some convenience, you do not have any role in that. You have no role to play. He is in JC. I will consider his convenience, not yours.”

Earlier, on June 5, the same court had rejected Kejriwal’s interim bail plea on medical grounds, instructing Tihar jail authorities to ensure his medical needs were met while in custody. Judicial custody was subsequently extended to June 19.

During Wednesday’s proceedings, ASG Raju reiterated Kejriwal’s significant involvement, citing further investigation by the CBI. “Further investigation by CBI has revealed his role in the predicate offence. He has not argued that he is not guilty. He has always argued that this statement was not credible,” Raju said.

The Delhi High Court recently directed Sunita Kejriwal to remove a video recording of court proceedings related to the excise policy case from social media platforms.