On Wednesday, a Delhi court sent Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to three-day CBI custody following his arrest by the central agency in connection with a money laundering probe related to the now-scrapped excise policy.
Rouse Avenue court’s vacation judge, Amitabh Rawat, ordered Kejriwal to be produced before the court on June 29 before 7:00 PM. “The application for police custody remand is allowed for 3 days. He will be produced on 29 before 7 PM,” the court stated.
In its application to the court, the CBI emphasized the need to question Kejriwal to uncover the ‘larger conspiracy’ in the case. The agency indicated that the Delhi Chief Minister needed to be confronted with evidence and other individuals accused in the matter.
Federal agencies previously alleged that a “south lobby” influenced the formulation of the now-canceled excise policy and claimed Kejriwal’s involvement. CBI’s counsel, DP Singh, informed the court that Kejriwal’s custodial interrogation was necessary since “he is failing to even recognize that Vijay Nair was working under him.”
Singh alleged that Kejriwal had stated that Nair was working with Saurabh Bhardwaj and Atishi Marlena, accusing the CM of “pushing the entire onus on Manish Sisodia and saying that he has no idea about the excise policy.”
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Kejriwal defended himself in court, stating, “I have never given any statement saying that Manish Sisodia is guilty. I have given a statement that Aam Aadmi Party, Manish Sisodia, and I are not guilty.” He further accused the CBI of attempting to generate sensational headlines by suggesting he shifted the blame to Sisodia.
Earlier in the day, Kejriwal’s wife, Sunita Kejriwal, expressed her frustration on social media platform X, criticizing her husband’s arrest. She wrote, “Arvind Kejriwal got bail on 20th June. Immediately ED got a stay. The very next day CBI made him an accused. And today he was arrested. The whole system is trying to ensure that the man does not come out of jail. This is not law. This is dictatorship, this is emergency.”
