NEW DELHI: Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials on Thursday arrested Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday evening in connection with the excise policy case, hours after officials accompanied by Rapid Action Force (RAF) swooped down at his residence.
Kejriwal was still inside his Civil Lines residence at the time of filing this copy as AAP education minister Atishi, while speaking to The New Indian, maintained that AAP supremo would continue to be the chief minister.
“There has not been recovery of any proceeds of crime by the ED officials for the last two years since the probe began. Kejriwal won’t resign. He was the chief minister of Delhi and he would continue to remain so,” Atishi told The New Indian.
The move by the ED came following order by the Delhi High Court that denied him protection from any coercive action in the ongoing excise policy probe
The ED officials visited Kejriwal’s residence to serve him a summons in the case, as he skipped nine summons from the agency while approaching the court to quash summons saying the agency has not specified why he was being called repeatedly when summons neither described him as a witness or an accused.
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Sources indicated that the ED was conducting searches at Kejriwal’s premises even as AAP leaders claimed that ED officials have confiscated Kejriwal’s phones and also snapped fixed line connections to stop his communication with party leaders.
It’s not clear if ED would seek his custody following the interrogation or continue with interrogation at ED headquarters.
FLASH: Rapid Action Force deployed outside Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s residence as security beefed up.
Reports: @iAtulkrishan1
Videos by: @Photo_Sumit_#Kejriwal #DelhiCM #ED #KejriwalMustAppear #ED #DelhiNews #ArvindKejriwal #DelhiLiquorPolicy pic.twitter.com/b1Dqmo1t7G— The New Indian (@TheNewIndian_in) March 21, 2024
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The court, during Thursday’s hearing, questioned Kejriwal about his failure to seek anticipatory bail if he feared arrest, emphasizing the importance of attending summons to understand the nature of the investigation. The case continues to draw attention as it unfolds, with implications for both Kejriwal and the AAP leadership.
Key AAP leaders, Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh, are currently in judicial custody in connection with the case. Kejriwal’s name has appeared multiple times in the charge sheets filed by the ED, which alleges that the accused were in communication with him during the formulation of the excise policy, resulting in undue benefits for them in exchange for kickbacks paid to the AAP.