Kejriwal not well, being 'harassed' in ED custody: Wife Sunita
Delhi's Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is in poor health and is distressed, his wife Sunita Kejriwal alleged on Thursday. Sunita made the comments at Delhi's Rouse Avenue court where her husband was produced after his Enforcement Directorate (ED) remand ended. "He has not been keeping well. His sugar levels are fluctuating. He is being harassed a lot. This tyranny won't last and people will give a reply," she said. Notably, the court has extended Kejriwal's remand till April 1.
Why does this story matter?
On March 21, the ED arrested Kejriwal in a money laundering case linked to the now-scrapped excise policy. He has been accused of "conspiring" with liquor traders to earn kickbacks under the policy. Kejriwal had contested his arrest in the Delhi High court, with his representative, senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, arguing that the arrest was not intended for evidence collection but to disable him and his party. However, the court did not offer him any relief in the case.
ED's motive is to crush AAP: Kejriwal
During the hearing, Kejriwal made the submission alleging that the ED's motive is to crush the AAP. "I am named by four witnesses...in the excise policy case. Are four statements enough to arrest a sitting CM?" he had said in the court. Kejriwal alleged that co-accused-turned-approver Sarath Chandra Reddy donated Rs. 55 crore to the Bhartiya Janata Party. "I have evidence of this. Money trail is established as he donated the funds after being arrested," he added.
Kejriwal providing 'evasive replies': ED
Ramesh Gupta, advocate for Kejriwal, stated that the chief minister is willing to cooperate with the investigation but disagrees with the grounds cited by the ED for seeking an extension of his custodial remand. Meanwhile, in a fresh remand plea during the hearing, the federal agency mentioned that Kejriwal's statements were recorded over five days during his custodial interrogation and noted that he had been "providing evasive replies."
Delhi High Court rejects PIL to remove Kejriwal as CM
Separately, the Delhi High Court rejected a public interest litigation (PIL) petition seeking the removal of Kejriwal as Delhi chief minister. A division bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora ruled that it is for the executive and the president to decide, and the court cannot interfere with the same. A self-proclaimed farmer and social worker, Surjit Singh Yadav, had filed two PILs seeking the removal of Kejriwal and to prevent him from issuing directions.
