Arvind Kejriwal arrest updates | Kejriwal sent to ED custody till March 28

Germany became the first major global power to remind that Mr. Kejriwal has the right to a “fair and impartial trial.”

“We have taken note of the case. India is a democratic country. We assume and expect that the standards relating to the independence of the judiciary and basic democratic principles will also be applied in this case. Like anyone facing accusations, Mr. Kejriwal is entitled to a fair and impartial trial. This includes that he can make use of all available legal avenues without restriction,” the spokesperson of the German Foreign Ministry said while answering a question from the German media. - reports Kallol Bhattacharjee

Mr. Kejriwal’s lawyer told a Delhi court that there was “no material” or “evidence” to show any wrongdoing in excise policy formulation or receipt of any proceeds by the AAP supremo. 

While opposing the ED’s demand for his custody, Mr. Kejriwal’s lawyer told the court “that the present case is stitched together only on the basis of statements of co-accused and statement of officers who are working under the control of the complainant herein i.e. LG of Delhi”. 

“That despite investigating the matter for over the year and despite conducting more than 200 raids, no incriminating material showing involvement of arrestee in any crime or involvement in any process/ activity was found,” he contended. 

He said that to “unleash political vendetta” and for extraneous reasons, powers under Section 50 of the Prevention of Money laundering Act (PMLA) are “misused in malicious manner and people are coerced, forced and pressurised to give unsubstantiated statements” in the case. - PTI

BRS President and former Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao condemned the arrest of Mr. Kejriwal, calling it a “dark day in the history of democracy in the country”. 

“Kejriwal’s arrest is politically motivated. We demand immediate withdrawal of the illegal cases and the release of those who are arrested,” Mr. Rao, also known as KCR, said. - PTI

Kalpana Soren, wife of jailed former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren, criticised the Centre over the arrest of Mr. Kejriwal, saying the current state of affairs portrays governance as tantamount to dictatorship, with incidents of oppression seemingly prevalent across every part of the nation. 

Kalpana, who joined active politics after her husband was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case linked to alleged land scam, said, “Governance has become dictatorship. Every corner of the country has become a testimony of their atrocities.” In a post on ‘X’, Kalpana attacked the Centre and the BJP without naming them saying: “They think they will be reinstated to the throne by arresting leaders with a mass following of crores. The self-respecting and fearless people of the country will give a befitting reply to their delusion and arrogance. INDIA will not bow down.” - PTI

A court sent Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal ​to the Enforcement Directorate’s custody​ till March 28, a day after his arrest in the excise policy-linked money laundering case. Special Judge Kaveri Baweja at the Rouse Avenue court said Mr. Kejriwal will be produced before the court on March 28 at 2 p.m.

The court passed the order on the Enforcement Directorate’s application seeking a 10-day custody in the case. - PTI

Arvind Kejriwal “took advantage” of being the chief minister of Delhi to facilitate money laundering by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which is a “major beneficiary” of the proceeds of crimes generated in the alleged liquor scam case, the ED claimed Friday.

“Arvind Kejriwal, chief minister of NCT of Delhi is the kingpin and key conspirator of the Delhi Excise scam in collusion with ministers of Delhi government, AAP leaders and other persons,” the federal agency informed a special PMLA court while seeking his custody.

It claimed in its remand papers that “Arvind Kejriwal was involved in the conspiracy of formulation of the excise policy 2021-22 to favour certain persons and also involved in the demanding of kickbacks from liquor businessmen in exchange of favours granting in the said policy.” The 55-year-old former IRS officer and activist was arrested by the ED on Thursday under the anti-money laundering law from his official residence in the Civil Lines area of Delhi. - PTI

Prashant Bhushan claimed that there was “no documentary evidence” with the ED against the chief minister. 

“It’s astounding that the ED has arrested a chief minister just before the elections after the Model Code of Conduct has come into place, and in a case, where they don’t have any documentary evidence to show that he was involved in corruption, where they are relying on a statement of some approver who was the officer of a company. The company that had given electoral bonds to the BJP party which controls the ED,” Bhushan said, without taking names.

Delhi BJP’s Kapil Mishra said, “It is a joyous day for the people of Delhi. It’s a day for justice.” It is freedom from the rule of a “corrupt and dishonest” government. - PTI

Political activist and founder of Swaraj India Yogendra Yadav, who was removed from the AAP in 2015 by its disciplinary committee, termed Mr. Kejriwal’s arrest as “unjust”. 

“I am astonished. What is going on in this country in the name of democracy? You change the referee before the match by appointing new ECs (election commissioners). You are freezing the bank accounts of opponent. Notices have been given in 30-year-old cases. Do proper investigation. If court convicts, then be it PM (prime minister) or anybody else, they should be punished,” he said,

Mr. Yadav said “making arrests before an election by hook or by crook is like murder of democracy”. ”Unjust (what) has been done to Arvind Kejriwal. I’m sure people will teach them a lesson,” he said.

Opposition parties, including the Congress, the RJD and the TMC, have been attacking the BJP-led central government over the AAP leader’s arrest. - PTI

AAP leader Gopal Rai said Delhi ministers, AAP MLAs, councillors will take pledge to safeguard country at Shaheedi Park on March 23. “Holi programme won’t take place this year, instead we will go to people and tell them what is happening in country.” 

“On March 24, effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be burnt in all Assembly constituencies. On the day of Holi on March 25, we will not organise any programme and on March 26, we will gherao the prime minister’s residence,” Rai said.

He said a joint movement against the AAP national convenor’s arrest will be announced soon after discussions among the INDIA bloc constituents. - PTI

Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar said the arrest of a sitting chief minister, that too on the very eve of a general election, constitutes an immediate and long-term “threat to democracy and presages the end of constitutional democracy in India”. 

“It is the most dangerous move which taken in conjunction with other democracy damaging moves threaten the future of people’s rule in our dearly beloved country. It is an insult to the memory of Gandhiji and Baba Saheb Ambedkar,” the former Union minister said. - PTI

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav slammed Mr. Kejriwal for refusing to step down from his post after being arrested. 

Mr. Yadav said that eminent personalities like Lal Bahadur Shastri and BJP patriarch L.K. Advani resigned the moment their names appeared in a rail accident or false cases. 

“Kejriwal, who is the Congress’ partner, got nine summonses from the ED. His ministers are in jail and now he has been arrested. But he is not resigning and says he will rule as CM from jail,” Mr. Yadav said.

Mr. Modi, despite being chief minister and prime minister, does not even have an iota of a charge against his name, Mr. Yadav pointed out. - PTI

National Conference (NC) vice president and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah asserted that his party stands with Mr. Kejriwal and the AAP, and said this arrest shows the “remarkable degree of nervousness” in the ruling party — the BJP which is in power at the Centre. 

He claimed that Mr. Kejriwal’s arrest was clearly linked to the elections.

“Within days of the EC (Election Commission) announcing the dates for the Lok Sabha polls, you see that the sitting chief minister and an important part of the opposition alliance has been arbitrarily arrested by the ED,” he said. - PTI

In a post in Hindi on X, Sunita Kejriwal said, “Modi-ji got your thrice-elected chief minister arrested due to his arrogance of power and is trying to crush everyone. This is a betrayal with the people of Delhi. Your chief minister has always stood with you. Whether inside (jail) or outside, his life is dedicated to the country. The public is supreme and knows everything. Jai Hind.” - PTI

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, “This is vendetta politics, it has become very clear that the prime minister (Narendra Modi) and the home minister (Amit Shah) are rattled by the INDIA bloc which is a very strong alliance. This is not an alliance of seats it is a janbandhan (people’s alliance).” “It has become very clear from this step that we are going to get the mandate in this election,” Mr. Ramesh told PTI. 

He asserted that the unity among INDIA bloc parties would increase going forward. - PTI

“The polit bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) strongly condemns the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister and National Convenor of AAP Arvind Kejriwal by the ED,” the party said in a statement. 

“Clearly, the Modi government and the BJP are in a panic over the growing disenchantment of the people with the Modi government’s performance, disclosures of its own corrupt practices and exposures of electoral bond details. Hence, they are vindictively targeting opposition leaders (sic),” the CPI(M) said. - PTI

The Goa unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party said Mr. Kejriwal should step down from the post after his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in an excise policy-linked money laundering case.

Goa BJP spokesperson Yatish Naik refuted allegations that the ED was working at the behest of the ruling BJP. Mr. Naik said probe agencies are independent and work without any pressure from the government.

BJP MLA Sankalp Amonkar said the ED chargesheet has specifically mentioned that money from the alleged excise scam was used (by AAP) in the 2022 Goa Assembly polls. - PTI

A scuffle broke out between AAP and BJP workers in Kolkata during a demonstration over Mr. Kejriwal’s arrest, outside the state BJP headquarters in central Kolkata. 

As the AAP activists were shouting slogans against the Center, BJP activists who were inside the party office came out and began giving counter-slogans. The tensions escalated, police promptly intervened and brought the situation under control. Thirty AAP workers were taken into custody, police said.

The AAP also filed a complaint at the Jorasanko police station, alleging that its women members were molested by the BJP activists during the scuffle. - PTI

AAP leaders and workers were lathi-charged outside the BJP state headquarters in Jaipur while they were protesting the arrest of Mr. Kejriwal. 

Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma and state BJP election in-charge Vinay Sahasrabuddhe were present inside the party’s state office when the drama unfolded outside.

The AAP workers marched to the local BJP headquarters from their party office in the Jyoti Nagar area. Police erected barricades on the route to stop the march and later resorted to caning the political party’s workers. - PTI

AAP MLAs and councillors reached Mr. Kejriwal’s residence in Civil Lines to meet his family on Friday.

AAP MLA Durgesh Pathak said, “We have come here to meet his family. They are not being allowed to meet anyone. They have been placed under house arrest. Nobody knows what state they are in.” AAP MLAs, including Jarnail Singh and Raaj Kumar Anand, and Delhi mayor Shelly Oberoi were among those present outside Mr. Kejriwal’s residence.

The AAP leaders raised slogans of ‘tyranny won’t last’ and ‘house arrest bandh karo’. - PTI

Sankaranarayanan said, “There is no bar in law on a person continuing as chief minister once arrested.” “As per the Representation of the People Act, it is only after a conviction that an MLA can be treated as disqualified and therefore disentitled to be a minister. Although unprecedented, it is technically possible for him to function from jail,” he said. 

Senior advocate Vikas Singh said, “Legally there’s no bar but administratively it will be next to impossible.” Section 8 clause 3 of the Representation of the People Act deals with disqualification of a lawmaker and says a person convicted for an offence and sentenced to two years or above shall be disqualified from the date of such conviction. - PTI

“My life is dedicated to the service of the nation whether I am inside or outside (jail),” Mr. Kejriwal told TV9 Network while he was being produced in the court. 

This was Mr. Kejriwal’s first reaction after being arrested by the ED on Thursday night. - PTI

In Surat, a group of workers and leaders of AAP and Congress were detained. 

“We have detained nearly 20 persons for staging protests on the road without any permission. Model Code of Conduct is in force and a notification has also been issued by police banning assembly of more than 4 persons,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Surat city) Bhakti Thakar.

Those detained included AAP corporator Parul Sakaria and Congress’ Lok Sabha candidate for Surat seat Nilesh Kumbhani.

In Rajkot, nearly 70 protesters, led by AAP MLA from Jamjodhpur seat Hemant Khava, were detained for staging demonstrations at Kisaan Para Chowk.

In Bhavnagar city, police detained nearly 20 AAP and Congress workers, including AAP MLA Umesh Makwana, for staging protests against Kejriwal’s arrest. - PTI

Leaders and party workers of the opposition Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress protested in major cities like Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Surat and Bhavnagar. Police detained nearly 130 protesters, including AAP Gujarat president Isudan Gadhavi and party MLAs Umesh Makwana and Hemant Khava.

In Ahmedabad, AAP and Congress workers gathered near Lal Darwaja area and shouted slogans against the BJP government at the Centre, accusing it of framing Kejriwal in a false case.

“There is absolutely no evidence against Kejriwal. First, they incarcerated Manish Sisodia and now Kejriwal out of political vendetta. ED officials who used to extort money from people through electoral bonds have arrested a popular CM,” said Gadhavi before he along with nearly 20 protestors were detained by the city police. - PTI

Arvind Kejriwal’s lawyer Vikram Chaudhari during his remand hearing says, “ED has become judge, jury, executioner. Court matter needs application of significant judicial mind, larger issues of democracy involved.” - PTI

A petition has been filed before the Delhi HC seeking removal of Arvind Kejriwal as the Chief Minister of Delhi. The plea said a Chief Minister accused of a financial scandal should not be permitted to continue in public office.

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav slammed the BJP for the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, saying they can put leaders in jail but not the public which will teach them a lesson.

“Sending the Chief Minister to jail and controlling news will not help them as they are weakening democracy and suppressing the voice of those who want to raise the truth,” the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister told reporters after meeting senior party leader Azam Khan who is lodged in a jail, in Uttar Pradesh.

“They (BJP) can send as many leaders to jail as possible but will not be able to send the public to jail,” Mr. Yadav said, adding time is the biggest factor and when time comes it will teach them a lesson. He also accused the BJP of having a ‘ brahmand record” (universe) of getting fake cases filed. - PTI

The Aam Aadmi Party accused the Mumbai police of high-handedness while they were protesting in the early hours against the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

AAP’s Maharashtra president Preeti Sharma Menon said their workers were shoved and beaten and women were detained in the night. She alleged some of the workers were even punched.

“During the protest, several AAP members were hit and shoved by police officers. Our leader Aslam Merchant was punched in the nose by an inspector, resulting in severe bleeding. Furthermore, our members were shifted from police station to police station and finally dumped in Azad Maidan without adequate facilities, such as light, fans, chairs, or toilets,” she said.

“Ten AAP leaders were detained at MRA Marg police station,” she said, adding that all were later discharged by the court. - PTI

It’s first time in the history of India that a sitting CM is arrested, Arvind Kejriwal’s counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi said to court. “Power of arrest is not equal to need of arrest; there is no necessity of arresting this man, Delhi CM’s counsel said to court, referring to Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. “Four senior AAP leaders also arrested; a non-level playing field being created,” he said. - PTI

Former Supreme Court Judge N. Santosh Hegde said he was totally disappointed with Aam Aadmi Party leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Mr. Hegde, a former Solicitor General of India, was among the key personalities, including Mr. Kejriwal, behind the then ‘India Against Corruption’ movement, spearheaded by Anna Hazare, more than a decade ago, which had at the time brought the issue of corruption into sharp focus.

“It clearly shows that when in power, greed overtakes you,” he said on the case against Mr. Kejriwal.

“I am totally disappointed. I thought AAP (after it came to power) will uphold administrative fairness which is not there. And it is an indication of the fact that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely,” he said. - PTI

The Trinamool Congress termed the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal ahead of the Lok Sabha polls as a calculated assault on the Opposition leaders and a breach of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) by the BJP. - PTI

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti said, “The arbitrary arrest of yet another CM by ED reeks of political vendetta and growing authoritarianism. This cowardly act has exposed fears of the ruling party now resorting to desperate measures by manipulating elections even before they are held. History has shown that tyranny never prevails in the face of unified resistance. We will not be intimidated.”

The Enforcement Directorate has sought 10 days remand to interrogate Arvind Kejriwal. The agency has presented the Delhi Chief Minister before a trial court in Delhi, presided by Special Judge Kaveri Baweja.

ASG S.V. Raju is appearing for the agency. Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi is representing Mr. Kejriwal. “Delhi CM is the key conspirators of Delhi excise policy scam,” alleged the Enforcement Directorate. “He is involved in the use of proceeds of crime,” reads the ED remand order. “It was Mr. Kejriwal who asked for kickbacks from South group of liquor traders,” ED alleged.

Punjab BJP president Sunil Jakhar has said a party delegation will approach the Election Commission and seek an ED probe into the state’s excise policy, which he claimed was tailored in lines with the one in Delhi.

“For the (Delhi) excise policy which Kejriwal had to see this day, the same model has been replicated by their government in Punjab,” said Mr. Jakhar in Chandigarh.

-PTI

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann reached the residence of AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal on Friday afternoon.

“Mann will be meeting the family members,” a party functionary said.

-PTI

Delhi CM Kejriwal has arrived at the Rouse Avenue court in New Delhi. He is being produced before the court by the ED to obtain his remand for custodial interrogation in the money laundering case. Special judge Kaveri Baweja is presiding over the appeal.

Zoheb Hossain, the Special Counsel for ED, told the trial court that ASG S.V. Raju will be appearing for the agency. Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi is representing Mr. Kejriwal.

Over a dozen Aam Aadmi Party workers held protests near the Telangana BJP headquarters in Hyderabad against the arrest of Arvind Kejriwal and were later dispersed by the city police.

The AAP cadre held placards with the words “Modi Hatao-Bharat Bachao” and raised slogans saying “ED and CBI down down”. “They were later dispersed off,” a police official said.

-PTI

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah said, “This is not the first one. Before this, a few weeks ago, our friend, the Chief Minister of Jharkhand, was also detained. He went to Raj Bhavan and submitted his resignation because he knew what would happen. If he went to jail as a sitting Chief Minister. The BJP would have used the Constitution to impose the President’s rule. That is now my worry for Delhi. If the Aam Aadmi Party insists on retaining Arvind Kejriwal as Chief Minister from jail, the Centre will use this as an excuse to impose President’s rule in New Delhi. Arvind Kejriwal is not the first and he won’t be the last. This will happen.”

Photo Credit: X/@ashokgehlot51

Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot hit out at the BJP-led Centre over the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, saying the misuse of Central probe agencies has reached its pinnacle.

Mr. Gehlot said it is for the first time in the country that leaders holding constitutional posts are being arrested.

“The arrest of first the Chief Minister of Jharkhand, Mr @HemantSorenJMM and now the Chief Minister of Delhi, Mr @ArvindKejriwal is the pinnacle of misuse of Central agencies. It is being seen for the first time in the country that leaders holding constitutional posts are being arrested,” Mr. Gehlot said in a post on X in Hindi.

The work of the ED is now “limited to political sabotage”, the senior Congress leader said, adding, “This is democracy being murdered.” “It seems the BJP, which is making noise of getting 400 seats day and night in the Lok Sabha elections, does not have the confidence of getting even 200 seats, therefore such dictatorial steps are being taken every day,” he added. - PTI

Thiruvananthapuram MP and senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said the timing of the arrest shows that the BJP has utter disregard for the democratic process. Mr. Tharoor expressed hope that the Supreme Court would take action on its own against the arrest of the Delhi Chief Minister by the Enforcement Directorate when the Model Code of Conduct was in place. - PTI

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said he had given instructions to the Enforcement Directorate not to produce Arvind Kejriwal before the Remand Magistrate when the Supreme Court was seized of Mr. Kejriwal’s case. However, the Chief Minister of Delhi will be produced before the Magistrate as the petition has been withdrawn from the Supreme Court now.

The Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) dramatic arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal late on March 21 has galvanised the ruling front and the Opposition in Kerala into taking to the streets on March 22 (Friday) morning in protest against what the rival fronts view as “an egregious and unprecedented attack on Indian democracy and federalism.”

The leaders of the rival alliances also portrayed Mr. Kejriwal’s arrest ahead of the Lok Sabha elections as “an ominous, dead-of-the-night knock on democracy’s door” that portended badly for the country’s polity.

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West Bengal could also witness a scene similar to the national capital, State BJP president Sukanta Majumdar said, referring to the arrest of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal.

Hitting back, the Trinamool Congress said that such a statement reflected the “BJP’s fear of losing” the Lok Sabha elections.

“Last month, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemmant Soren was arrested. Now, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has been arrested. It only shows that being a Chief Minister doesn’t grant you any sort of impunity if you are involved in corruption. Similar allegations of corruption have emerged in West Bengal in recent years. So, the State could also witness similar scenes like New Delhi,” Mr. Majumdar said. - PTI

Sharad Pawar, who heads the Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar, condemned the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal by the Enforcement Directorate, saying the BJP will have to pay the price for the “misuse of power”.

Speaking to reporters at Baramati in Maharashtra’s Pune district, Mr. Pawar said he is confident people will show their collective power in the elections the way they had demonstrated during Emergency.

Referring to Mr. Kejriwal’s arrest, Mr. Pawar (83) said federal agencies are being misused to suppress the voice of the Opposition. - PTI

“One sitting Chief Minister from the Opposition alliance jailed, another sitting CM resigned to hand over charge before being arrested. The accounts of an Opposition party frozen. A horribly fudged up election process caught on camera for even a Mayoral election, a month ago,” Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray said. He alleged that political Opposition being bought over or broken down with means of government agencies, shamelessly. “Are we really supposed to lie to the world that we are a free and fair democracy anymore,” Aaditya Thackeray asked.

“I am deeply disappointed that he, once a colleague in advocating against alcohol, is now formulating liquor policies. His arrest is a result of his own actions,” said social activist Anna Hazare, at Ralegan-Siddhi, Ahmednagar.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal withdraws his writ petition in the Supreme Court challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). His lawyers, senior advocate A. M. Singhvi and advocate Shadan Farasat, returned to mention before J. Sanjiv Khanna. Mr. Singhvi said they will seek bail before the trial court and argue against any request by ED for remand of the Chief Minister. Mr. Kejriwal is scheduled to be produced before the Magistrate court at 2 p.m.

Arvind Kejriwal’s counsel in Supreme Court says he intends to withdraw petition challenging arrest by the Enforcement Directorate. He said that since remand proceedings before trial court will be clashing with Supreme Court hearing, he be allowed to withdraw plea. Mr. Kejriwal’s counsel tells Supreme Court he will contest remand proceedings in trial court and then come to apex court with another plea. - PTI

The Delhi traffic police issued an advisory on X, “In view of the proposed protest by political party at DDU Marg Delhi, traffic will remain heavy at IP Marg, Vikas Marg, Minto Road and Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg. DDU marg will remain closed for traffic movement. Kindly avoid these roads and plan your journey accordingly.” Huge traffic congestion was also witnessed at Geeta Colony and Rajghat.

As the roads leading to ED office were also shut, the traffic police advised commuters to avoid Krishna Menon Marg, Motilal Nehru Marg, Janpath, and Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Road. - ANI

“A massive traffic jam was witnessed near ITO Chowk, Raj Ghat and Vikas Marg on Friday morning (March 22) as the roads leading to the BJP headquarters and Enforcement Directorate office were shut due to the AAP’s protest,” officials said.

AAP leaders and supporters are protesting at the ITO intersection, near the AAP and the BJP headquarters at the DDU Marg. Police officials were asking protestors to disperse in view of prohibitory orders under Section 144 imposed in the area.

The police have put up barricades on roads leading to DDU Marg and shut several roads for vehicular movement in central Delhi. - ANI

DMK MP Dayanidhi Maaran and Tamil Nadu Minister Sekar Babu protested in Chennai Central against the arrest of Arvind Kejriwal by Enforcement Directorate officials. - ANI

BJP leader Ramvir Singh Bidhuri asked the AAP government that if Delhi’s new excise policy was great, then why was it taken down. ”I have always told Arvind Kejriwal that this excise policy is not good... This policy caused a loss of ₹ 3,000 crore. In the end, we protested against the AAP government. If his new excise policy was great, then why did the CM take it down!” Mr. Bidhuri said. - ANI

BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra said that today the Delhi Chief Minister’s pride has been broken. “There have been nine summons since October 23. Arvind Kejriwal did not remain present in any of them. He has a sense of entitlement and he keeps saying that the summons is “illegal” and he will not remain present. He keeps saying that he is the CM and how can he be summoned. Today, his pride has been broken. The law of this country says that if you have broken a law and you are summoned, then you have to respect the summons and remain present,” Mr. Patra said. - ANI

Union Minister Anurag Thakur reacted to Aam Aadmi Party claims that arrested Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will run the government from jail and said that this is an “insult” to the people of Delhi and “law and democracy.”

“It is unfortunate that a political party that spoke about the corruption of the Congress, and demanded the arrest of Sonia Gandhi, has refused to appear before the ED even after nine summons,” Mr. Thakur told reporters. 

“Why did he have to remain away from the investigation... All of them are exposed in this liquor scam,” he added. - ANI

BJP leader Shehzad Poonwalla said, “AAP leaders are saying that Arvind Kejriwal is not a human, but an ideology. The ideology is that he will be corrupt and when the court takes action, he will call it an atrocity and play the victim card... I want to ask them, is the court finishing democracy? The Supreme Court rejected Manish Sisodia’s bail. The SC said that there is a money trail of ₹338 crore. Sanjay Singh’s bail was rejected by the High Court. If your teammates have been in jail for more than a year now, has the BJP done it or have the courts done it? - ANI

BJP leader Manoj Tiwari claimed that the people of Delhi are distributing sweets, saying that the one who “looted” their funds has been arrested.

Mr. Tiwari said, “What goes around comes back. Arvind Kejriwal ji has looted the funds of Delhi. The innocent people of Delhi who have been demanding clean water...At last, he was cursed as a consequence of other people’s sufferings. They [Delhi government] had promised to give homes to the poor and dwellers of Jhuggis. But [he] started to make his own Raj Mahal. It [Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest] was certain. We believe any accused would be held in case he committed wrong. Today, the public in Delhi is very happy and are distributing sweets on every street. The one who looted them, has been arrested.” - ANI

Union Minister Bhupender Yadav said action will be taken as per law against those who are involved in corruption while referring to the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the excise policy case. - ANI

Delhi Cabinet Ministers Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj were detained on March 22 as the AAP leaders staged a protest against the BJP over the arrest of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal by the Enforcement Directorate in the excise policy case.

The two Ministers were lodged in a police bus as officials asked protesters at the ITO intersection, which is near the AAP and the BJP offices, to disperse in view of prohibitory orders under Section 144 imposed in the area. - PTI

Following the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the Delhi Assembly has cancelled the sitting scheduled for March 22. The Assembly will now meet at 11 a.m. on March 27. - ANI

Amid ongoing protests by Aam Aadmi party leaders over the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann reaffirmed the party’s unwavering support for Mr. Kejriwal, stating that they stand by him ‘like a rock’.

Punjab CM Mann, in a post on X in Hindi, wrote, “You will arrest Arvind Kejriwal but how will you arrest his thinking. Arvind Kejriwal is not a person but an idea and we stand with our leader like a rock. Inquilab Zindabad!”

Labelling the Enforcement Directorate as the ‘political team’ of the BJP, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann in a post on X wrote, “BJP’s political team (ED) cannot arrest Kejriwal’s thinking, because only AAP can stop BJP. Thinking can never be suppressed.” - ANI

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said it is unfortunate that, as a Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal is going to jail and he should have resigned from his post. 

“In the history of our country, anyone who has been accused has offered his resignation and does not resume duty unless cleared of all charges. From Lal Bahadur Shastri to Lal Krishna Adani...When Adani ji’s name falsely came up in a dairy, he immediately resigned from all of his posts, even from Parliament and faced the court. I believe it is the first requirement in our democracy when a finger is being raised against you, and that too against a party whose two leaders are in jail in the same case...”,he said. “...It is unfortunate that, as a CM, he is going to jail. So much greed for the post doesn’t suit Arvind Kejriwal. He should have resigned from the CM post...”, CM Yadav said. - ANI

Hours after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate, Sharmishta Mukherjee, daughter of former President Pranab Mukherjee accused him and the Anna Hazare group of making ‘irresponsible, baseless and wild’ allegations against former Chief Minister of Delhi Sheila Dixit.

She added that despite their claims of ‘trunk loads’ of evidence against Ms. Dixit, none has been so far presented.

“Karma catches up,” Ms. Mukherjee said in a post on the social media platform ‘X’.

Senior advocate A.M. Singhvi on Friday mentioned Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal‘s arrest before the CJI Bench, challenging it. 

The CJI asked him to go before a Special Bench led by J. Sanjiv Khanna, who had convened to hear K. Kavitha’s case against arrest in the Delhi excise policy. 

However, Justice Khanna’s Bench had risen by the time Mr. Singhvi made it to that courtroom. 

Addressing a press conference on Friday, AAP Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said there is a direct link between electoral bonds and the arrest of Arvind Kejriwal. 

“P. Sarath Reddy, the director of Aurobindo Pharma who was arrested by the ED in the liquor policy case, donated ₹5 crore to the electoral bonds five days after his arrest in November 2022. In June 2023, he turned an approver in the case and a few months later donated another ₹25 lakh in electoral bonds to the BJP. 

“ED is not being able to prove a money trail of how AAP allegedly benefited from the liquor policy. But the BJP’s money trail is clear thanks to the electoral bond revelations” the Minister said. 

National Conference vice president Omar Abdullah on Friday said the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was a “blot” on democracy and shows the ruling party’s “remarkable degree of nervousness”. 

“Aisi Taisi Democracy. For all the talk of 400+ seats, the ruling dispensation is displaying a remarkable degree of nervousness. Having a sitting opposition CM arrested by a pliable central agency within days of the general elections being announced is a blot on democracy,” Mr. Abdullah said in a post on X. 

Delhi Minister Atishi on Friday said CM Arvind Kejriwal has Z+ security, and it’s a big concern whether the Centre is providing him adequate security in ED custody. 

“The BJP wants to crush Mr. Kejriwal and AAP; the people of Delhi and the country will reply to it,” Ms. Atishi said. 

Ahead of polls, the attacks on opposition leaders have begun, and this shows BJP is trying to influence elections, and steal mandate, she added. 

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is expected to be produced before a special PMLA court here by the ED on Friday to obtain his remand for custodial interrogation in the money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in the scrapped Delhi excise policy 2021-22, officials said. 

The ED may seek a 10-day custody of Mr. Kejriwal from the court alleging his continued “non-cooperation” in the investigation and to ascertain his role and that of his party in connection with the liquor policy and irregularities as alleged by the agency. 

Mr. Kejriwal’s legal defence team is expected to contest the same as they had called the ED action “illegal”.

PTI

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation said that on the advice of Delhi Police, ITO Metro station will remain closed from 08:00 am to 06:00 pm today. 

The traffic police have requested commuters to avoid routes leading to central Delhi in anticipation of a huge gathering of AAP workers. 

Roads leading to the BJP headquarters and ED office in central Delhi have been closed.

AAP leaders have asked party workers to reach the BJP headquarters and commence a protest at 10 a.m. on Friday against Mr. Kejriwal’s arrest.

Delhi Police has said that strict action will be taken if anyone tries to break the law.

A team of doctors arrived at the ED office for the medical examination of Delhi Chief Minister and AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Friday. 

The hospital staff is understood to have been called by the ED to conduct a basic medical checkup of the politician before he is taken to the court. 

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Delhi Police on Friday morning beefed up up security with heavy personnel deployment and multi-layer barricading on roads leading to BJP headquarters where AAP leaders and workers will stage a protest against the arrest of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Paramilitary personnel in anti-riot gear have also been deployed to maintain law and order situation in the area. 

The Aam Aadmi Party on Friday accused the Mumbai police of high-handedness while they were protesting in the early hours against the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). 

AAP’s Maharashtra president Preeti Sharma Menon said their workers were shoved and beaten and women were detained in the night.

She alleged some of the workers were even punched. 

PTI

The AAP’s Delhi unit convenor Gopal Rai gave a call on Thursday for a nationwide protest against the BJP following Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). 

At a midnight press conference, Delhi ministers Atishi, Rai and the AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak condemned how Mr. Kejriwal was arrested.

Earlier, Delhi Congress chief Arvinder Singh Lovely joined the AAP protest outside Mr. Kejriwal’s residence. 

PTI

AAP’s claim of pursuing corruption-free governance and alternative politics receives a big dent as Mr. Kejriwal goes to jail in connection with the liquor scam case. 

An IIT graduate, Mr. Kejriwal first led AAP to form the government in Delhi in 2013 with outside support from the Congress. He faced off with former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit in the New Delhi constituency and defeated her by a margin of 22,000 votes in his poll debut. 

But the Aam Aadmi Party-Congress government lasted only 49 days as Mr. Kejriwal resigned since he was unable to pass the Jan Lokpal Bill in the Delhi Assembly. 

Buoyed by the party’s electoral gains in its first-ever elections in Delhi, Mr. Kejriwal announced his decision to face off with the BJP’s Narendra Modi in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections from Varanasi, only to face a crushing defeat. 

The next year, Mr. Kejriwal led AAP to victory on 67 seats in the national capital, restricting the BJP, which was riding the Modi wave, to only three seats while the Congress drew a blank. 

In the run-up to the 2015 Assembly polls, he had constantly apologised for his actions during the 49-day tenure in 2013 and promised not to quit again. 

Emerging from the anti-corruption movement of 2011, AAP was founded in the national capital by Mr. Kejriwal and his closest associates on Gandhi Jayanti (October 2) the next year. 

Within a short span of 12 years, Mr. Kejriwal has single-handedly led AAP’s rise as the third largest national party of the country, following the BJP and the Congress, having its footprints not only in Delhi and Punjab but also in faraway Gujarat and Goa. 

Mr. Kejriwal, who was challenged by politicians during his ‘India Against Corruption’ days to take a plunge into active politics to taste realpolitik, managed to keep issues like health, education, water and electricity supply as the core of his politics and governance, even as his detractors slammed him for giving up on his promise for Lokpal. 

Mr. Kejriwal, who rose to prominence as an activist riding on the widespread public anger over big-ticket corruption charges on the then Congress-led UPA regime in 2011, still maintains the streak, slamming politicians over the dilapidated condition of health and education in the country. 

While defending Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh and Satyendar Jain, Mr. Kejriwal used to call corruption “treason” and assert that AAP follows the path shown by Bhagat Singh.

From leading the ‘India Against Corruption’ movement to becoming the Chief Minister of Delhi thrice in a row, Arvind Kejriwal, arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on Thursday, has had a chequered career as a bureaucrat-turned-activist-turned-politician.

Mr. Kejriwal’s arrest comes at a time when his AAP is making a serious foray into electoral politics through a tie-up with its opposition INDIA bloc partner Congress for the Lok Sabha polls in Delhi, Haryana and Gujarat. 

The 55-year-old AAP national convener’s arrest may have serious repercussions on the poll fortunes of the party since he has been at the centre of its plans and strategy for the Lok Sabha election. 

In his absence, the party stares at uncertainty as many of its other senior leaders are either in jail or in political obscurity. 

PTI