Arvind Kejriwal News Highlights: ED gets 6-day custody; Delhi CM won't change, says AAP

Arvind Kejriwal News Live: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal was remanded to ED custody until March 28 by Rouse Avenue Court. The ED had requested a 10-day remand. Kejriwal was arrested on Thursday by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the alleged Delhi Liquor scam and was presented before Special Judge Kaveri Baweja's court.

Arvind Kejriwal News Live:

AAP posted Arvind Kejriwal's picture from the Rouse Avenue court hearing and captioned it:

"He is not a person, he is a thought

Who resides in millions of hearts

This smile, this courage

And honestly, the dictator is afraid."

Arvind Kejriwal News Live: Union minister Smriti Irani said, “Today, we got details of how a person who sits on a constitutional post and cites honesty, defines corruption by misusing administrative machinery through the deeds of Arvind Kejriwal.”

Arvind Kejriwal News Live: Taking a dig at AAP leaders for saying that Arvind Kejriwal will run the Delhi government from behind bars, North East Delhi BJP MP Manoj Tiwari said, "We have seen gangs being run from jail, not any government".

Tiwari claimed that Delhi's people were happy with the arrest and firecrackers were burst and sweets distributed.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was on Friday remanded in Enforcement Directorate's custody till March 28, a day after the central agency arrested him in a money laundering case linked to the alleged excise policy "scam", in a huge setback to an icon of the anti-corruption movement of 2013 and his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

Kejriwal was arrested on Thursday after he had skipped as many as nine ED summonses asking him to appear before it to answer questions about alleged illegalities in formulation and execution of the Delhi government's excise policy for 2021-22, which was eventually scrapped amid allegations of corruption.

Arvind Kejriwal "used" the post of chief minister of Delhi to facilitate money laundering by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which is a "major beneficiary" of the proceeds of crimes generated in the alleged liquor scam case, the ED claimed Friday.

"Arvind Kejriwal, chief minister of NCT of Delhi is the kingpin and key conspirator of the Delhi Excise scam in collusion with ministers of Delhi government, AAP leaders and other persons," the federal agency informed a special PMLA court while seeking his 10-day custody.

The court sent him to ED custody till March 28.

21 AAP workers including Delhi Minister and AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj released from Bawana Police station.

They were detained during the party's protest against the arrest of CM Arvind Kejriwal at ITO today.

AAP leader Atishi says, "We, very respectfully and humbly disagree with the decision of the court. ED has no proof even after 2 years of investigation... ED forced their witnesses to give statements against Arvind Kejriwal... We will explore all possible legal routes... One by one opposition parties are being targetted in front of the judiciary... Arvind Kejriwarl will always be the CM of Delhi. There is no Constitutional bar on him not being the CM. He has not been convicted till now..."

AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj says, "... It is Arvind Kejriwal today, it can be someone else tomorrow. This government will spare no one... The world is supporting Arvind Kejriwal. And when things like this happen at a global scale, revolutions happen and governments are overturned. The countdown of the Central government has begun on 21 March... BJP supporters are also coming to us and saying, all was fine till now, but this has become a little too much."

Arvind Kejriwal News Live: Arvind Kejriwal's lawyer said that there is no substantial evidence indicating any wrongdoing in policy formulation or any receipt of proceeds by the arrested chief minister. Despite a year-long investigation and over 200 raids conducted, no incriminating material linking Kejriwal to any criminal activity or process was discovered.

Arvind Kejriwal News Live: Legal experts clarified that Arvind Kejriwal can remain Delhi's chief minister despite his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case linked to the excise policy. They said that there is no legal barrier preventing an arrested person from holding the post, citing the Representation of the People Act. According to this act, disqualification occurs only after a conviction.

Senior advocate Vikas Singh said, "Legally there's no bar but administratively it will be next to impossible."

Arvind Kejriwal News Live: "When BJP is including corrupt people in its party all over the country. Then why has patriot Kejriwal ji been arrested? Because they work day and night for good education to children, good treatment to the poor, safety and respect of women, said AAP leader Gopal Rai.

Arvind Kejriwal News Live: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal remanded to ED custody until March 28 by Rouse Avenue Court. The ED had requested a 10-day remand. Kejriwal was arrested on Thursday by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the alleged Delhi Liquor scam and was presented before Special Judge Kaveri Baweja's court.

Arvind Kejriwal News Live: A Delhi court on Friday remanded New Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to six days custody of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) till March 28 in connection with a probe the federal agency is conducting into the alleged irregularities in formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy 2021-22.

Arvind Kejriwal News Live: Delhi cabinet ministers Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj were detained on Friday as AAP leaders led a protest against the BJP following the arrest of chief minister Arvind Kejriwal by the Enforcement Directorate in the excise policy case.

The ministers and other protesters were transported in police buses after they declined to disperse from Central Delhi's ITO intersection, which is adjacent to the headquarters of both the AAP and the BJP, and where prohibitory orders under section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure were in effect.

Arvind Kejriwal News Live: AAP staged protests in Punjab and Haryana on Friday over the arrest of Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. Police used water cannons and lathis to disperse protestors when they attempted to march towards Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini's residence in Kurukshetra.

Arvind Kejriwal News Live: Former Supreme Court Judge N Santosh Hegde, a colleague of Arvind Kejriwal in the 'India Against Corruption' movement, said he is utterly disappointed with Kejriwal.

Arvind Kejriwal News Live: Leaders of the INDIA bloc met with the Election Commission of India on Friday, urging its intervention in the alleged "targeting of opposition leaders" by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) through what they termed as the “misuse of central agencies”, reported ANI.

Arvind Kejriwal News Live:

• ED said in the court that Arvind Kejriwal was directly involved in the use of proceeds of crime from AAP's Goa election campaign in 2022.

• According to the ED, CM Kejriwal was implicated in a conspiracy related to the formulation of a liquor policy that favoured certain individuals and involved the demanding of kickbacks.

• The ED asserted that Arvind Kejriwal is the kingpin and a key conspirator in the Delhi liquor scam, working in collaboration with his ministers and AAP leaders.

• ED alleged that Arvind Kejriwal exploited his position as Delhi CM to facilitate money laundering activities by AAP, which was a significant beneficiary of the proceeds of crimes.

Arvind Kejriwal News Live: AAP leader Gopal Rai announced at a press briefing in New Delhi that a protest is scheduled at Shaheedi Park near ITO in New Delhi on March 23. All AAP MLAs, MLCs, AAP post-holders, and partners of the INDIA bloc will assemble at the park at 10 am.

The purpose of the protest is to take an oath to safeguard the country from slipping into dictatorship, Rai said.

Arvind Kejriwal News Live: Party leader Gopal Rai announced that AAP plans to gherao the Prime Minister's residence on March 26 to protest Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal's arrest by ED.

Arvind Kejriwal News Live: Special Judge Kaveri Baweja said that the order may take some time as it is being typed.

Arvind Kejriwal News Live: Kalpana Soren, wife of jailed former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren, voiced strong criticism against the Centre on Friday, following the arrest of Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Kalpana, who entered active politics after her husband's arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case related to an alleged land scam, remarked, "The current state of governance resembles dictatorship. Atrocities appear to be rampant in every corner of the country."

Arvind Kejriwal News Live: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, the AAP national convenor, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday night in relation to a money laundering case linked to the excise policy.

Following his arrest, Kejriwal was presented before a court by the ED, which has requested a 10-day custody for further investigation. The court's decision on the custody request is currently awaited.

Arvind Kejriwal News Live: Congress MP Jairam Ramesh has strongly condemned the arrest of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), labelling it as "politics of revenge." Ramesh accused the BJP of fearing the INDIA alliance and described the arrest as an assault on democracy and the constitution. He further criticised Prime Minister Modi, alleging a singular agenda of "One Nation No Election" and asserted that the country is witnessing a transition towards a "One Person Dictatorship."