Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court Sends CM Arvind Kejriwal To Judicial Custody Until April 15

ED can ask for an extension for the Delhi CM’s remand, citing his lack of cooperation with the agency probe: source

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s remand in the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) custody ends on Monday. Following which, he appeared before the court bench around 11:30 am to continue proceedings regarding the Delhi liquor excise policy case. The Rouse Avenue Court denied any reprieve to Arvind Kejriwal and sent him to judicial custody until April 15th. He will be taken to Tihar Jail later today.

01:21 PM: Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi, being escorted from Rouse Avenue Court after being remanded to judicial custody until April 15 in connection with the Delhi Excise policy case.

#WATCH | Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal being taken from Rouse Avenue Court after he was sent to judicial custody till April 15 in the Delhi Excise policy case pic.twitter.com/jRllxXpWNj

— ANI (@ANI) April 1, 2024

12:13 PM: The Rouse Avenue Court denies any reprieve to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, sending him to judicial custody until April 15th in relation to the alleged liquor policy scandal. The ED sought fifteen days of judicial custody, citing Kejriwal's 'non-cooperative behaviour'. Presented in the Rouse Avenue Court as his previous custody ended on Monday, Kejriwal has been overseeing Delhi from jail, with his wife Sunita Kejriwal conveying his directives to Cabinet members. 

11:59 AM: The Enforcement Directorate requested Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal's Judicial Custody, stating no immediate need for further interrogation; Additional Solicitor General SV Raju represents ED.

11:53 AM: Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court sends Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal to Judicial Custody until April 15

11:48 AM: Kejriwal commented upon reaching the Rouse Avenue Court, he said, ‘What PM Modi Is Doing Is Not Good For Country.’

ED, during their last request for remand, stated that during Kejriwal's custody interrogation, his statements were documented over five days, noting that he consistently provided ‘evasive responses’. Highlighting this, among other reasons, the ED asked for an extended remand on March 28. The agency informed the court that they have extracted and are currently analysing data from one mobile phone belonging to the Delhi CM's wife. They mentioned that data from four other digital devices seized during a search at Arvind Kejriwal's residence on March 21, 2024 (owned by the arrestee himself) has not yet been extracted. This is because Kejriwal has requested time to provide password/login credentials after consulting with his lawyer. The ED also said that Kejriwal must be confronted face-to-face with certain individuals implicated in the excise policy case.  

Arvind Kejriwal was detained by the ED until March 28. However, the Rouse Avenue court later extended the remand until April 1. He was arrested by the ED on March 21 and sent to seven-day custody in connection with a money laundering case associated with the annulled Delhi Excise Policy of 2022. The case concerns purported irregularities and money laundering related to the development and implementation of the 2022 Delhi excise policy. It originated from a report presented by Delhi Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar to Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena in July 2022, citing alleged procedural mistakes in the policy's creation.