Delhi CM Kejriwal arrested in liquor graft case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in an excise policy-linked money laundering case on Thursday night and took him to the agency's headquarters in New Delhi, officials said.The arrest, the first of a sitting chief minister, came hours after the Delhi High Court refused to grant protection to the AAP national convenor from any coercive action by the agency.The 55-year-old leader's arrest, amid campaign for the Lok Sabha elections, drew angry reactions from his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The party said Kejriwal "will continue as the chief minister of Delhi. If need be, he will run the government from jail."
The BJP though demanded that Kejriwal step down as chief minister on moral grounds.In a day of fast-paced developments, a 10-member ED team led by an additional director reached his official residence on Flagstaff Road in Civil Lines in the national capital soon after the high court order and carried out searches. He was arrested more than two hours after the ED team arrived at his residence, officials said.
As the ED officials carried out their action inside, additional Delhi Police personnel and Rapid Action Force (RAF) and CRPF teams were deployed around the chief minister's residence.The additional deployment was made as the ED sought extra security measures in anticipation of protests by AAP supporters, sources said.A large number of AAP workers and leaders gathered near the chief minister's residence and shouted slogans hailing Kejriwal and denouncing the ED action.

#WATCH | Delhi CM and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal was taken to the ED Headquarters from his residence.

Enforcement Directorate team arrested him in the Excice Policy Case.

(Earlier Visuals) https://t.co/4JBR9jGa4T pic.twitter.com/6DcUpefPmt

— ANI (@ANI) March 21, 2024

They said the federal agency later took Kejriwal to its office in central Delhi. This is the 16th arrest in the case by the ED.The officials said the ED would produce the chief minister before a court on Friday and seek his custody for interrogation in the case.The ED has filed a total of six charge sheets in this case till now and attached assets worth over Rs 128 crore.The ED and the CBI have alleged that the Delhi government's excise policy to grant licences to liquor traders allowed cartelisation and favoured certain dealers who had allegedly paid bribes for it, a charge strongly refuted by AAP.
The policy was subsequently scrapped and Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena recommended a CBI probe into the irregularities in its formulation and implementation.Kejriwal had skipped nine summonses issued by the agency for questioning in the case, the latest being for Thursday, March 21. He has called these summonses "illegal".During the day, Kejriwal moved the Supreme Court against the high court's order denying him any relief in the matter. Later, AAP leader Atishi said they have moved the Supreme Court for quashing the arrest of Kejriwal and "asked for an urgent hearing...tonight itself."