Arvind Kejriwal Sent To 15-Day Judicial Custody In Liquor Policy Case

NEW DELHI: On Monday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was ordered to serve a 15-day judicial custody in connection with the Delhi liquor policy case, as ruled by Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court following the conclusion of his custody with the Enforcement Directorate (ED).canv

During today’s proceedings, Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, representing the ED, indicated that the agency is not seeking further remand, citing the recent Supreme Court judgment in Senthil Balaji’s case.

Raju asserted that Kejriwal’s behavior while in custody was uncooperative, providing evasive responses and allegedly misleading the investigation into the liquor case.

“In the future, we may require custody for specific purposes,” Raju informed the court.

Kejriwal’s legal team also submitted a request to allow him to bring three books – Bhagavad Geeta, Ramayan, and How Prime Ministers Decide by journalist Neerja Chaudhary – into jail.

Additionally, the Delhi High Court has instructed the Enforcement Directorate to submit a status report before the trial court regarding a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking to restrain Arvind Kejriwal from issuing directives while in custody. The High Court has instructed the federal agency to treat the PIL as its own representation.

Arvind Kejriwal was detained by the Enforcement Directorate on March 21 and was initially held in the agency’s custody until March 28, with a subsequent four-day extension that concluded today.