Kejriwal, the national convenor of the AAP, was arrested on March 21 and subsequently remanded to the ED’s custody till March 28 by a Delhi court...reports Asian Lite News
The United States has said that it encourages a “fair and transparent” legal process for Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal who has been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case linked to the liquor policy scam. A US spokesperson told Reuters that Washington is closely monitoring the reports of the arrest of the Aam Aadmi Party leader ahead of the general elections. “We encourage a fair, transparent, and timely legal process for Chief Minister Kejriwal,” the spokesperson said.
The US reaction came days after Germany made a similar statement, saying the chief minister was entitled to a fair and impartial trial. “We assume and expect that the standards relating to the independence of Judiciary and basic democratic principles will also be applied in this case,” German foreign ministry spokesperson Sebastian Fischer said on Friday. India termed his remarks an interference in its judicial process and lodged a strong protest by summoning the German deputy chief of mission in New Delhi on Saturday.
“We see such remarks as interfering in our judicial process and undermining the independence of our judiciary,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said. “India is a vibrant and robust democracy with the rule of law. As in all legal cases in the country, and elsewhere in the democratic world, law will take its own course in the instant matter. Biased assumptions made on this account are most unwarranted,” he further said. Kejriwal, the national convenor of the AAP, was arrested on March 21 and subsequently remanded to the ED’s custody till March 28 by a Delhi court. The Delhi High Court will hear a petition by Kejriwal challenging his arrest by the ED, on Wednesday. The case pertains to the alleged corruption and money laundering in formulating and executing the Delhi government’s excise policy for 2021-22 which was later scrapped. Top AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh are in judicial custody in the case.
AAP launches campaign for saving Constitution
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has launched a social media campaign asking people to support it for saving the constitution and democracy in the country.
Delhi minister and senior AAP leader Atishi addressed a press conference here to launch the social media “DP (display picture) campaign”, urging people to join in.
She said that all AAP leaders and volunteers will change their profile picture on X, Facebook, WhatsApp and other social media accounts with the new one showing Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal behind the bars captioned “Modi Ka Sabse Bada Dar Kejriwal”.
Kejriwal is the only leader in the country who can challenge Prime Minister Narendra Modi so he was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate without any evidence just after the announcement of Lok Sabha polls, Atishi said.
She claimed the ED could not produce even “one Paisa” of evidence despite its two-year-long probe into the alleged excise scam.
She alleged that the BJP and Modi want to crush Kejriwal and added that the AAP was waging a battle against “dictatorship” in the country.
She urged people to join the social media DP campaign of the party saying saving the democracy and the Constitution was not just Kejriwal’s fight.
Kejriwal was arrested by the ED in connection with the money laundering case linked to now scrapped excise policy of his government on Thursday last week. He is in custody of the agency till March 28.
Delhi HC to hear plea
The Delhi High Court has said that it will hear on Wednesday a petition filed by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal against his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the remand order passed by a trial court in connection with the excise policy case.
The plea, which contends that his arrest and the remand order passed by a trial court were illegal and that he was entitled to be released from custody immediately, will be heard by Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma, the court said on Tuesday.
On March 23, the court had refused to immediately hear Kejriwal’s petition in the case.
Kejriwal’s legal team had sought an immediate hearing.
The ED, which was given the custody of Delhi CM till March 28 by the court, has alleged that the Aam Adami Party (AAP) is the major beneficiary of the proceeds of crime generated in the alleged liquor scam.
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