Rama Krishna Sangem
The Enforcement Directorate on March 22, Friday said Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was a “key conspirator” in the excise policy scam case along with other ministers and AAP leaders, as it sought his 10-day custody from a court here.
Kejriwal was produced in the trial court shortly after he withdrew from the Supreme Court his plea against his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the excise policy-linked money laundering case on Thursday evening.
During the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener’s remand hearing, the ED told Special Judge Kaveri Baweja at the Rouse Avenue court that Kejriwal received several crores of rupees as kickbacks from the ‘South group’ for formulating and implementing the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22.
He demanded Rs 100 crore from some accused from the ‘South group’ for contesting the Punjab elections, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) SV Raju, who is appearing for the agency, told the court.
The law officer said the money trail showed that Rs 45 crore “kickback” used in the Goa elections came from four hawala routes. He said the statements of the accused and witnesses have been corroborated through Call Detail Records (CDR).
The AAP chief was produced before the court around 2 pm amid tight security on and around the court premises. “We have given an application for 10 days’ remand,” ASG Raju told the court. He said the AAP is not an individual but a company, and every person responsible for the conduct of the company will be held responsible.
1st CM in India to be arrested
Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who is representing Kejriwal, said this is the first time in the history of India that a sitting chief minister has been arrested.
The power of arrest is not equal to the need of arrest and there was no necessity of arresting this man, he said. “Please don’t look at remand as a routine exercise… it requires application of significant judicial mind… larger issues of democracy involved,” Singhvi said.
Lawyer Vikram Chaudhari, who is also representing the Delhi chief minister, told the court that the “ED has become judge, jury and executioner”.
