Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal arrested in liquor policy case

Hours after the Delhi High Court denied him protection against "coercive action" by the Enforcement Directorate, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the agency in connection with liquor policy case. This is the same case in which leaders of Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party – Sanjay Singh and Manish Sisodia, were also arrested. 

A team of ED officials reached Kejriwal’s residence on the evening of Thursday, March 21, to question the Delhi CM in the liquor case. 

There was heavy police deployment around the Chief Minister's residence. Earlier, the same day, Kejriwal had skipped the ED’s ninth summons in the case.

On Thursday, a division bench of Justices Suresh Kumar Kait and Manoj Jain, declined to pass any order granting interim relief on Kejriwal’s plea. The bench on Wednesday had also asked CM Kejriwal as to why he doesn't appear before the probe agency in response to the summons.

Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Arvind Kejriwal, contended that the ED's summons lacked clarity regarding the capacity in which Kejriwal was called to appear, accusing the agency of attempting to create an uneven playing field ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

In response, ASG SV Raju, along with special counsel Zoheb Hossain, appearing for the Enforcement Directorate (ED), opposed granting interim relief (to Arvind Kejriwal), saying that the law must be applied uniformly to all individuals, regardless of their position.

He clarified that Kejriwal was summoned in his personal capacity, and not as the Chief Minister or the Aam Aadmi Party chief, as he stressed the necessity for the Delhi CM's interrogation based on the available evidence.

Kejriwal’s arrest comes days after Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLC Kalvakuntla Kavitha, daughter of former Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, was arrested on March 15, in the same case.