Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was sent to six-day Enforcement Directorate custody in connection with the excise policy case on Friday.
Speaking for ED, S V Raju said that Kejriwal was the ‘kingpin’ of the alleged scam, and the money was used for the Goa Legislative Assembly elections in 2022. Before appearing at the court, the Delhi CM said, “Whether I stay in jail, or outside, my life will be dedicated to serving the nation.”
Kejriwal was arrested by the central agency late on Thursday on charges of corruption in relation to the case. It is the first time in independent India that a serving Chief Minister has been arrested. The move came after Kejriwal skipped multiple summons by the investigation agency, nine in total, calling them “illegal”.
The Enforcement Directorate, which arrested the Delhi CM on Thursday, told the court that Kejriwal “took advantage” of his position as chief minister to facilitate money laundering by his party, the AAP, which is a “major beneficiary” of the proceeds of crimes generated in the alleged liquor scam case.
The ED had sought his custody for 10 days. The ED charged that Kejriwal “was directly involved in the use of proceeds of crime generated in the Goa election campaign of the AAP (in 2022) to which he is the convenor and the ultimate decision maker”.
The agency told the court that it has recorded the statements of various people engaged in the election campaign-related activities of the AAP during the Goa polls and it was found that “cash payments were made to them for work like survey workers, area managers, assembly managers etc”.
Appearing for Kejriwal, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi opposed the ED’s demand for Kejriwal’s custody, saying there is no direct evidence to link his client to the case. “There is no direct evidence except these statements saying I met Mr Kejriwal etc. If people are arrested and pardoned then they will definitely name anyone,” he argued.
