NEW DELHI: During a court hearing on his arrest, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal objected to the CBI planting stories in the media, alleging he has blamed his own party leader, Manish Sisodia. “I have not given any such statement,” Kejriwal said. “I have said that I am innocent, Manish Sisodia is innocent, and AAP is innocent. They have just arrested me, and for the next 3-4 days, they will continue planting such things.”
Kejriwal urged the court to document how the media is being used to defame him and his party. Following which the court reserved order on Kejriwal’s CBI custody, later which his wife, Sunita Kejriwal, accused the authorities of trying to ensure her husband remains in jail, calling the situation akin to a dictatorship and an emergency.
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His party also reacted on the order alleging that Kejriwal’s arrest was planned by the BJP to prevent his bail by the Supreme Court. The party further claimed that the BJP had him arrested in a fake case to keep him in jail.
Amid these developments, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) expressed strong objections to the High Court’s decision to stay Kejriwal’s bail. AAP’s Chief Spokesperson, Priyanka Kakkar, underscored that the High Court’s decision lacked a thorough review of the trial court’s findings.
On June 26, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) formally arrested Kejriwal, seeking a five-day custody in connection with an alleged excise policy scam. The Delhi court noted that the trial court had not adequately substantiated the conditions for Kejriwal’s release under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), thereby adding complexity to the legal proceedings.