'People Of Delhi Should Not Suffer': Sunita Kejriwal Reads Out Delhi CM's Message For AAP MLAs

The press conference by Sunita Kejriwal comes a day after AAP MP Sanjay Singh walked out of the Tihar jail after six months

NEW DELHI: In a significant development amidst ongoing legal proceedings, Sunita Kejriwal, wife of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, conducted a press conference on Thursday, delivering a message from the incarcerated AAP leader. In his message to the party leaders, conveyed by his wife, Kejriwal directed the AAP MLAs to remain actively engaged with their constituencies, ensuring the welfare of the people of Delhi even in his absence.

Echoing the sentiments of the jailed Delhi Chief Minister, Sunita Kejriwal conveyed his message urging AAP MLAs to conduct regular visits to their respective areas, diligently addressing citizens' concerns and resolving issues promptly. Despite his confinement, Arvind Kejriwal underscored the principle that governance should not falter and that the well-being of Delhi's populace must remain a top priority for elected AAP representatives. "Arvind Kejriwal has sent a message to all MLAs: 'Just because I am in jail, the people of Delhi should not suffer in any way. Every MLA should visit their area every day and discuss people's problems and sort them out...," Sunita Kejriwal said.

CM @ArvindKejriwal जी का AAP विधायकों के लिए दिया संदेश Smt. @KejriwalSunita जी ने पढ़ा:

“मेरे जेल में होने से दिल्ली के लोगों को किसी भी तरह की परेशानी नहीं होनी चाहिए।

हर विधायक हर दिन अपने क्षेत्र का दौरा करे और लोगों की समस्याओं पर चर्चा कर उनका समाधान करे।

दिल्ली की 2… pic.twitter.com/njEsNpUgzN — AAP (@AamAadmiParty) April 4, 2024

This press conference gains significance as it follows the release of AAP MP Sanjay Singh from Tihar jail on Wednesday after a six-month confinement, culminating in a meeting between Singh and Sunita Kejriwal at her residence in the national capital.

AAP Vs ED In Excise Policy Case

Meanwhile, the legal battle surrounding Arvind Kejriwal's arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the Excise Policy money laundering case continues to unfold. The Delhi High Court, after extensive deliberations on Wednesday, reserved its order on Kejriwal's plea challenging both his arrest and the remand granted by the trial court.

During the proceedings, Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Kejriwal, raised pertinent concerns regarding the timing and motives behind the arrest, alleging a deliberate attempt to disrupt democratic processes and undermine the AAP. Conversely, the ED defended its actions, asserting that Kejriwal had flouted multiple summons, thereby compelling his arrest as per legal protocols.

In its rebuttal, the ED reiterated allegations of money laundering against Kejriwal and the AAP, alleging their involvement in the Delhi Liquor Scam and utilization of illicit funds for political campaigns, notably in the Goa Assembly elections of 2022.

Arvind Kejriwal through plea alleged that the ED has at the time of arrest failed to establish that Petitioner is guilty of committing activities stipulated under Section 3, i.e., be it one of concealment, possession, acquisition, use of proceeds of crime as much as projecting it as untainted property or claiming it to be so.

Arrest of Delhi CM

Kejriwal was arrested on March 21 by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the excise policy case. The trial court on April 1, sent Arvind Kejriwal to Judicial Custody till April 15, 2024. ED alleged that the Aam Adami Party (AAP) is the major beneficiary of the proceeds of crime generated in the alleged liquor scam. The agency claimed that Kejriwal was directly involved in the formation of the excise policy.

The case pertains to alleged irregularities and money laundering in framing and implementing the Delhi Excise Policy 2022, which was later scrapped. While Kejriwal was not named in the FIRs registered by the ED or the Central Bureau of Investigation in the Delhi excise policy case, his name first found a mention in the ED's chargesheet, wherein the agency claimed that he allegedly spoke to one of the main accused, Sameer Mahendru, in a video call and asked him to continue working with co-accused and AAP communications-in-charge Vijay Nair.

Nair was among the first people to be arrested by the CBI in the case, in 2022. Subsequently, former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh were arrested in connection with the case.