Delhi Chief Minister Aravind Kejriwal slammed the BJP-ruled Centre for its “political conspiracy” as he reached the Rouse Avenue court for a hearing in the money laundering case on Thursday.
“This is a political conspiracy. The people will give an answer,” Kejriwal said. AAP ministers Atishi, Gopal Rai and Saurabh Bharadwaj were inside the court along with the CM’s wife Sunita Kejriwal. The CM sought permission to speak and began his statements by saying that he had been arrested without a case.
He made the submissions as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) produced him in the court of Special Judge Kaveri Baweja and sought seven days further custody, arguing he needs to be confronted with some people linked with the case.
“I have been arrested… Nor has any case been filed against me… C Arvind was Manish Sisodia’s PA. He said that Manish gave the papers to C Arvind in my house. Is this enough to arrest the CM? No court has found me guilty… ED and CBI have filed reports running into thousands of pages. Thanks to ED this case has been going on for two years”, he said.
“I am named by four witnesses in the excise policy case. Are 4 statements enough to arrest a sitting CM?”, he asked. Kejriwal asked whether this is a proper ground to arrest a Chief Minister. CM said, “There was a statement from Ragunta that he had come to me asking for land, I had said that the land falls within LG purview.”
ED then objected to Kejriwal speaking. Taking the objection into cognisance, the court said, “If Kejriwal has anything to say then he should give a written statement to the court.”
Kejriwal asserted that “I am not opposing ED’s remand, it can keep me for as many days as it wants. It’s being alleged that there was a Rs 100 cr scam…Justice Sanjiv Khanna said that the money trail is not yet traced…The motive of ED is to crush the Aam Aadmi Party”.
Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court dismissed a PIL seeking Arvind Kejriwal’s removal as Delhi Chief Minister following his arrest in a money laundering case linked to liquor policy. The bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Pritam Singh Arora declined to comment, saying the merits of the issue fell outside the scope of judicial interference.
The bench said the petitioner failed to show any bar in the law that prohibited Kejriwal from holding his office because of his arrest. “Show us… where is the prohibition? Show us any legal bar which you are canvassing,” CJ said.
