According to a State Department spokesperson who spoke to Reuters this week, the US government is keeping an eye on reports of Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest and has urged its Indian counterpart to guarantee “a fair, transparent, and timely legal process” for the opposition leader and jailed Delhi Chief Minister.

“We encourage a fair, transparent, and timely legal process for Chief Minister Kejriwal,” a State Department spokesperson said in response to an emailed query by Reuters , the new report mentioned.
A few days ago, Germany’s Foreign Office had also emphasized that the leader of the Aam Aadmi Party, like any other Indian citizen facing charges, is entitled to a fair and impartial trial.

A spokesman for the German government stated on Friday, “We assume and expect that standards relating to independence of judiciary and basic democratic principles will also be applied in this case.”

In response to the remark, the Indian government took strong action, calling in the German envoy and denouncing the Foreign Office spokesperson’s statement as “blatant interference in internal matters”.

“We see such remarks as interfering in our judicial process and undermining the independence of our judiciary,” the ministry of external affairs stated. “Biased assumptions are most unwarranted.”

When a State Department spokesman was asked about India’s protest to Germany, they said to Reuters, “We refer you to the German Foreign Ministry for comment on their discussions with the Indian government.”

Following a late-night raid at his home, the Enforcement Directorate took Kejriwal into custody last week under dramatic circumstances after a Delhi court denied him protection from arrest.

He was placed under the central agency’s custody for a period of seven days, or until Thursday.

With less than a month to go before the 2024 Lok Sabha election, Kejriwal being sent to jail has rocked the AAP and the political landscape nationwide.