US speaks again on Kejriwal, mentions frozen Congress accounts after India summons diplomat

After India summoned a US diplomat over their remarks on the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the liquor policy case, the US once again on Wednesday iterated its call for “fair, transparent, timely legal processes”.

“We continue to follow these actions closely, including the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal,” said US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller while responding to questions on India summoning Gloria Berbena, the US Acting Deputy Chief of Mission in New Delhi.

Miller also responded to a question on the Congress party’s frozen bank accounts, saying, “We are also aware of the Congress party’s allegations that tax authorities have frozen some of their bank accounts in a manner that will make it challenging to effectively campaign in the upcoming elections.”

He said the US encourages “fair, transparent and timely legal processes” for each of these issues.

Also Read: India expresses ‘Strong Objection’ to US remarks on Kejriwal’s arrest

The meeting with the US diplomat at the foreign ministry’s South Block office lasted nearly 40 minutes yesterday with India objecting strongly to the US remarks on the arrest of Arvind Kejriwal.

Kejriwal was arrested last week by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the third Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader after Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh to be taken into custody in connection with the alleged liquor policy scam.

The US State Department on Tuesday said it is monitoring reports of Kejriwal’s arrest and called on New Delhi to ensure “a fair and timely legal process” for the jailed Chief Minister.

India objected to it and warned of “unhealthy precedents”.

Also Read: Supreme Court to hear Kejriwal’s plea against ED arrest today

“States are expected to be respectful of the sovereignty and internal affairs of others, and this responsibility is even more so in case of fellow democracies. It could otherwise end up setting unhealthy precedents,” the foreign ministry said.

“India’s legal processes are based on an independent judiciary which is committed to objective and timely outcomes. Casting aspersions on that is unwarranted,” the ministry stressed.

The US remarks came days after Germany’s Foreign Office stressed that Kejriwal is entitled to a fair and impartial trial. India had reacted strongly and summoned the German envoy, labelling their remark “blatant interference in internal matters”.