Kejriwal to meet 2 ministers every week, run government: AAP
Arvind Kejriwal—who continues to serve as the Delhi chief minister despite his arrest—will meet two ministers each week and review the progress of the work in their departments, the Aam Aadmi Party has said. Kejriwal is currently lodged in Tihar Jail under judicial custody, which will end on April 23. He was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on March 21 in a money laundering case linked to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy.
Why does this story matter?
Kejriwal is the first sitting chief minister to be arrested by a law enforcement agency. There are no legal or constitutional restrictions preventing the AAP national convener from continuing his duties as CM. Separately, the AAP and the opposition bloc—the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance—have raised protests over the timing of the arrest. They have accused the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centre of using federal agencies to cripple the opposition ahead of the crucial Lok Sabha elections.
AAP members permitted to visit Kejriwal in jail
According to reports, the Tihar Jail officials have confirmed that ministers Atishi, Kailash Gahlot, and Saurabh Bharadwaj are permitted to visit Kejriwal twice a week. The AAP's National General Secretary (Organization) Sandeep Pathak said Kejriwal asked him to convey to the party MLAs to go door to door in their areas and meet people to understand their concerns. "Kejriwal said the MLAs will have to cover up his absence by working twice as hard as before," he said.
Kejriwal's plea for interim relief denied by SC
On Monday, Kejriwal's plea for interim relief was denied by the Supreme Court. The apex court however requested a response from the ED by April 24 regarding his challenge against arrest in the case. In another hearing, the Rouse Avenue court in Delhi extended Kejriwal's judicial custody until April 23 in the same money-laundering case related to the alleged excise policy scam.
