“My life is dedicated to country whether….”: Arrested Delhi CM Kejriwal

New Delhi [India] : Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the excise policy case a day before, said that his life is dedicated to the country whether he is outside or in jail.

A video shared by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on its X handle showed Kejriwal reaffirming his ‘commitment’ to the country.

“Whether I am inside or outside, my life is dedicated to the country,” Kejriwal said as he was produced before Rouse Avenue court on Friday by ED following his arrest on Thursday.

Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi appearing for Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal before the court on Friday said that there is no direct evidence.

“Without there being any material in possession of the Enforcement Directorate on the basis of which Mr Kejriwal can be believed to be guilty of an offence, he is being illegally and arbitrarily arrested by the ED,” Singhvi submitted before Rouse Avenue court.

Singhvi while concluding his arguments before the Special Judge, requested, “Please do not look at the remand as a routine. It requires the application of significant judicial mind…there are larger issues of democracy involved.”

The Delhi CM was arrested after skipping nine summons issued against him by the Enforcement Directorate and Delhi High Court, which refused to grant him relief from any coercive action by the probe agency.

The case pertains to alleged irregularities and money laundering in framing and implementing the Delhi excise policy case 2022, which was later scrapped.

Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest came days after the ED arrested K Kavitha, Bharat Rashta Samithi (BRS) leader and daughter of former Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, in connection with its investigation into money laundering charges linked to the now-scrapped excise policy.

Earlier Manish Sisodia, who was the then Delhi Deputy Chief Minister, was arrested by the CBI on February 26 following several rounds of questioning. On October 5, ED arrested Sanjay Singh, who is a Rajya Sabha member.