The judicial custody of chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has been extended till May 20 by a Delhi court on Tuesday. This decision comes in relation to the money laundering case associated with the now-defunct excise policy.
Kejriwal appeared before the court through video conferencing after the expiration of his previously granted custody.
The timing of the order aligned with the Supreme Court’s hearing on Arvind Kejriwal’s challenge to his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in the liquor policy case. Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta, who presided over the two-judge bench, indicated that they might deliberate on the matter of granting interim bail to Kejriwal.
The court ruled that Arvind Kejriwal is the duly elected chief minister of Delhi, noting the exceptional nature of the current situation with the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.
The court expressed that in the absence of elections, it wouldn’t have granted any interim relief, emphasizing its desire to avoid any interference in the government’s functioning.
Arvind Kejriwal was apprehended by the nation’s financial crime-fighting agency on March 21 for his alleged involvement in corruption related to Delhi’s liquor policy, a claim that his party vehemently denies. Presently, he remains in judicial custody at Tihar jail.
