Arvind Kejriwal Arrest Highlights: ‘Kejriwal kingpin and key conspirator of the Delhi excise scam’: ED

On the ED arrest of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said, “I call upon Supreme Court to take Suo Moto cognizance on what has happened… What has happened is violative of the spirit of democracy… The court has every right to take imminent action against anything that has a material effect on the elections… This is fundamentally violative of the political rights of every Indian citizen… At 11 am, there will be a march to the Raj Bhawan…”

Following Kejriwal’s arrest, the Delhi unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took a jibe and shared a ‘Chor Machaye Shor’ poster on X with an image of Arvind Kejriwal, alongside AAP leaders Manish Sisodiya, Satyendar Jain and Sanjay Singh, who have all been earlier arrested.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has called for nationwide protests, including in Delhi, against the arrest of Arvind Kejriwal by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

In view of these protests, the Delhi Traffic Police has issued an advisory for the commuters.

The Delhi Traffic Police took to X and wrote, “Political party at DDU Marg Delhi, Traffic will remain heavy at IP Marg, Vikas Marg, Minto Road and Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg. DDU marg will remain closed for traffic movement. Kindly avoid these roads and plan your journey accordingly.” Read more

In a late-night press conference, AAP’s Delhi unit convenor Gopal Rai gave a call for a nationwide protest against the BJP following Kejriwal’s arrest by the ED.

Rai said Kejriwal’s arrest was the “murder of democracy” and an “announcement of dictatorship”, news agency PTI reported.

Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Thursday said that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) recovered Rs 70,000 in cash during its search at the residence of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal following his arrest in the excise policy case. Bharadwaj also said the probe agency returned the seized cash.

“The Chief Minister’s house was searched. They just found Rs 70,000 in cash and returned it. They have taken the Chief Minister’s mobile and arrested him. They haven’t got any proof, evidence or money trail,” he told reporters, in a video posted by news agency ANI.

“Today, he got Kejriwal arrested through agencies because he is in power. There is no one to stop him. They have arrested two Chief Ministers. Maybe they might arrest more,” he said while referring to the arrest of former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren in a land fraud case.

Opposition leaders from across the political spectrum have condemned Arvind Kejriwal‘s arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

Hitting out at Modi, Rahul Gandhi said a “scared dictator” is sounding the death knell of democracy. “While capturing all the institutions including the media, breaking up parties, extorting money from companies, freezing the account of the main opposition party was not enough for the ‘asuri shakti’ now the arrest of the elected Chief Ministers has also become a common thing,” Rahul said.

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said that “the arrogant BJP, which makes false claims of victory every day, is trying to weaken the opposition by illegal means before the elections.”

Meanwhile, condemning what he called “vindictive misuse of Central agencies to target the opposition, especially as general elections loom,” NCP chief Sharad Pawar said the “arrest showcases the depth to which BJP will stoop for power.”

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said that it has moved the Supreme Court to challenge Kejriwal’s arrest by ED and has asked for an urgent hearing after the Delhi High Court declined to grant any immediate protection to him.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested him on the charges of corruption and money laundering in the formulation and execution of the Delhi government’s excise policy for 2021-22, which was later scrapped. Kejriwal was issued multiple summonses for questioning in connection with the case, however, he skipped all of them.