Arvind Kejriwal’s Court Date Today As Probe Agency Custody Ends: 10 Points

1. Arvind Kejriwal was arrested on March 21 and has been running his government from the ED lock-up since then. After his initial custody ended on March 28, a local court extended it for four more days till April 1.

2. Mr Kejriwal has also moved the Delhi High Court against his arrest, arguing that his fundamental rights were violated by the probe agency. The court had issued a notice to the ED, seeking a reply by April 2. The hearing will resume on April 3.

3. He has dubbed his arrest a “political conspiracy” while his party has been organizing major protests. His arrest just ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls has also prompted furious protests from the opposition camp.

4. Top opposition leaders who attended a mega rally at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan last afternoon pressed for the release of Mr Kejriwal and former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, who was arrested by the ED in January in a different case.

5. Sunita Kejriwal, wife of the Chief Minister, is playing a crucial role in the aftermath of Mr Kejriwal’s arrest, addressing his supporters and conveying his messages from the lock-up.

6. Yesterday, she attacked the central government in a fiery speech at the Ramlila Maidan. She also delivered a message from Mr Kejriwal, in which the Chief Minister had made six election promises ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

7. Last week, after meeting him in the ED custody, she claimed the Chief Minister was unwell, he was diabetic, and that his blood sugar had been fluctuating. Sources have said Mr Kejriwal’s blood sugar had dropped to the dangerously low level of 46.

8. The UN, as well as the US and Germany, have spoken on Mr Kejriwal’s arrest, with the world body hoping that everyone’s rights will be protected ahead of the elections. India had summoned US and German envoys in the past week to oppose their comments on the Chief Minister’s arrest.

9. Mr Kejriwal is the third AAP leader after his former deputy Manish Sisodia and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh to be arrested in the alleged liquor policy scam. He was arrested after he skipped nine summons by the central agency for questioning.

10. The excise policy was introduced to bring an overhaul to the liquor business in Delhi but was scrapped after Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena ordered a probe into the alleged irregularities in the policy. The ED believes the policy provided a high profit margin and bribe money was allegedly used to fund the AAP’s election campaigns.

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