India has summoned Acting US Deputy Ambassador Gloria Berbena to address concerns regarding comments made by the State Department regarding the recent arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Expressing “strong displeasure,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) emphasized the importance of respecting the sovereignty of nations and refraining from casting aspersions on their legal processes.
“We take strong objection to the remarks of the Spokesperson of the US State Department about certain legal proceedings in India. In diplomacy, states are expected to be respectful of the sovereignty and internal affairs of others. This responsibility is even more so in the case of fellow democracies. It could otherwise end up setting unhealthy precedents. India’s legal processes are based on an independent judiciary which is committed to objective and timely outcomes. Casting aspersions on that is unwarranted,” the MEA stated.
The State Department’s spokesperson had previously stated, “We encourage a fair, transparent, and timely legal process for Chief Minister Kejriwal,” in response to an emailed query by Reuters.
This development follows a similar incident a few days earlier when Georg Enzweiler, German Deputy Chief of Mission in New Delhi, was summoned to convey India’s strong protest regarding comments made by the German Foreign Office Spokesperson on India’s internal affairs. The MEA had characterized such remarks as interference in the country’s judicial process and undermining the independence of its judiciary.
“India is a vibrant and robust democracy with the rule of law. As in all legal cases in the country, and elsewhere in the democratic world, law will take its own course in the instant matter. Biased assumptions made on this account are most unwarranted,” the MEA added.
Kejriwal’s arrest by the Enforcement Directorate earlier this month, after the high court refused to grant him protection from coercive action by the federal anti-money laundering agency, relates to allegations of corruption and money laundering in formulating and executing the Delhi government’s excise policy for 2021-22, which was subsequently scrapped.
