Excise Policy Case: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Remanded to Judicial Custody till April 15

Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court on Monday remanded Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to judicial custody till April 15 in connection with the excise policy case, the AAP Chief will now be sent to the Tihar Jail. After the conclusion of his custody with the Enforcement Directorate, Kejriwal was presented before the court. Special Judge Kaveri Baweja issued the order as the probe agency did not request for an extension of remand. The AAP Chief was arrested on March 21, after which, On March 22, the trial court remanded his custody to the Enforcement Directorate for six days. If was further extended until April 1 on March 28.

During the court proceedings, Additional Solicitor General S. V. Raju, representing the Enforcement Directorate (ED), stated that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader has been uncooperative during his custody, alleging that he deliberately withheld passwords to electronic devices. AAP ministers Atishi and Saurabh Bhardwaj, along with Kejriwal's wife, Sunita Kejriwal were present in court.

Delhi’s Rouse Avenue court on March 28 had extended Kejriwal's ED custody till April 1, citing the agency's presentation of sufficient reasons, including the necessity for confrontational interrogation based on collected evidence and statements. During the proceedings, Kejriwal contested the agency's claims, asserting that only four statements were made, questioning whether such grounds warrant the arrest of a sitting Chief Minister. “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.

In the meantime, the AAP Chief has lodged a petition in the Delhi High Court contesting his arrest, alleging a breach of his fundamental rights by the investigating agency. The court has issued a notice to the ED, demanding a response by April 2, with the proceedings set to resume on April 3. The Delhi High Court had previously dismissed a PIL seeking Kejriwal's removal from his Chief Ministerial post following his arrest.

This comes a day after the leaders of the Opposition INDIA alliance had congregated at Delhi’s iconic Ramleela Maidan under the banner of the “Loktantra Bachao” (Save the Democracy) rally and condemned the arrests of CM Arvind Kejriwal and former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren. "Do you believe that Kejriwal Ji is a true patriot and honest person? These BJP people are saying that Kejriwal ji is in jail, he should resign. Should he resign? Your Kejriwal is a lion, they will not be able to keep him in jail for long," said Sunita Kejriwal. The Opposition coalition advocated for unity among alliance partners, urging the citizens of the country to vote judiciously in the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha Elections.

International attention has been drawn to Kejriwal's arrest, prompting responses from the UN, US, and Germany, with India expressing displeasure over remarks made by foreign officials.​