Delhi Excise Policy Case: Arvind Kejriwal's ED Custody Extended Till April 1; "ED trying to crush AAP," says Kejriwal

Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court on Thursday extended Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's remand to Enforcement Directorate custody till April 1 in connection with the Delhi excise policy case. The AAP Chief was arrested on March 21, and presented before the court after his initial six-day custody period ended on March 28. The ED sought another 7 days of custody, citing "evasive replies" from Kejriwal during interrogation and the need to confront him with individuals summoned from Goa. The court granted an extension of 5 days.

The central agency claimed that they have the money trail showing funds allegedly procured through bribes that were diverted to fund the Goa election campaigns of the Aam Aadmi Party. But the Chief Minister while speaking inside the courtroom on Thursday accused the the Enforcement Directorate of trying to “crush” the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ahead of the Lok Sabha elections 2024.

“This case is two years old and has been going on ever since. CBI in August 2022 filed the case and later ECIR was filed. ED has arrested me but on what grounds? No court has found me guilty. CBI has filed a chargesheet of 31,000 pages and ED filed a chargesheet of 25,000 pages. And even if you read them together, still, the question remains why have I been arrested?”, Kejriwal asked before the Judge inside the courtroom.

The ED on the other hand stated that Kejriwal had refused to provide the password for his mobile phone, which hindered their investigation. The central agency stated that while data from one mobile phone belonging to Kejriwal's wife had been extracted and analyzed, data from four other digital devices seized from Kejriwal's house could not be accessed owing to his refusal to provide the login password. Despite the AAP Chief's claims of innocence and lack of evidence against him, the Enforcement Directorate has maintained that he is the "kingpin" of the alleged liquor policy scam.

The AAP Chief was arrested by the ED on March 21 in connection with the Delhi excise policy case. He was remanded to ED custody until March 28. He was arrested shortly after the Delhi High Court rejected his request for interim protection against coercive measures. Kejriwal's arrest was made under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, of 2002. The case revolves around allegations of irregularities and money laundering related to the formulation and implementation of the Delhi excise policy in 2022. Kejriwal had previously skipped multiple ED summons, claiming they were illegal.

The case revolves around allegations of irregularities and money laundering associated with the formulation and execution of the 2022 Delhi excise policy, which was ultimately revoked. Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh were also arrested in connection to the case.​​