[BREAKING] Arvind Kejriwal To Be Presented In Delhi Court As CBI Custody Ends Today

The CBI is set to produce Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in court today as his three-day custody comes to an end. Kejriwal, who was arrested by the central agency in connection with the liquor policy case on Wednesday, will appear before the Rouse Avenue court at 7 pm.

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[BREAKING] Arvind Kejriwal to be Presented in Delhi Court as CBI Custody Ends Today

NEW DELHI: Today, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) will present Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in court as his three-day custody comes to an end. Kejriwal, who was arrested by the central agency on Wednesday in connection with the liquor policy case, is scheduled to appear before the Rouse Avenue court at 7 PM.

The CBI had initially sought a five-day remand for Kejriwal, arguing that his custody was essential to confront him with evidence and documents related to the case. However, the court granted only a three-day remand. The agency alleged that Kejriwal had implicated former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, attributing the idea of privatisation to him.

During the proceedings, Kejriwal’s lawyer, Vikram Chaudhary, strongly opposed the CBI’s plea for extended custody, describing it as “an abuse of power” and requested access to the documents presented by the CBI.

In his personal address to the court, Kejriwal asserted his innocence and defended other AAP leaders, including Manish Sisodia. He stated,

“I am innocent, and so is Manish Sisodia and other AAP leaders.”

Kejriwal accused the CBI of manipulating media headlines to falsely portray his involvement and firmly denied putting the blame on Sisodia.

In addition to the CBI’s case, Kejriwal is already in Tihar jail concerning his alleged involvement in a money laundering case being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

The Delhi liquor policy case pertains to alleged irregularities in the 2021-22 excise policy. These irregularities include modifications, undue favours to licensees, and the extension of L-1 licences without prior approval. The CBI is focusing on the corruption charges, while the ED is probing the money laundering aspect.

In July 2022, then Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, Vinai Kumar Saxena, recommended a CBI probe into the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government’s 2021-22 excise policy, citing

“deliberate and gross procedural lapses”.

This recommendation was based on an assessment report prepared by Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar.

Following directions from the Home Ministry to investigate the matter, the CBI registered a case in August 2022 against Manish Sisodia, three Delhi government officials, 10 liquor licensees, and other unknown individuals.

According to the CBI’s FIR, the accused were involved in

“recommending and taking decisions pertaining to excise policy for the year 2021-22 without the approval of the competent authority, with an intention to extend undue favours to the licensees post tender”.

The upcoming court session will be crucial in determining the next steps in this high-profile case involving Delhi’s Chief Minister.