Court sends Kejriwal to ED's further custody remand till April 1 [Read Order]

NEW DELHI: In a further setback to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, a Delhi court on Thursday sent him to custodial interrogation till April 1 in liquor policy scam case. 

The Enforcement Directorate claimed that Kejriwal has so far remained evasive and did not co-operate in the investigation related to the money laundering case.

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Special Judge Kaveri Baweja allowed a plea by the ED for further interrogation of Kejriwal in order to confront him with the other persons.

Kejriwal was arrested on March 21, 2024. He was produced before the court after the end of the custodial interrogation.

On March 27, the High Court had declined him interim relief on his writ petition challenging his arrest and remand.

Seeking his custody for further seven days, the ED said data from his four digital devices, seized during searches at his residence on March 21, are yet to be extracted as he has yet not provided password or login credentials.

However, data in one mobile phone, belonging to arrestee's wife, has been extracted and is being analysed, the agency led by Additional Solicitor General S V Raju said.

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He said further, statements of three other persons have also been taken during the period of remand. During the ED custody period, C Arvind, PS to then Dy CM Manish Sisodia who was handed over the draft GoM report 2021-22 at the residence of Arvind Kejriwal and in his presence, was confronted with him.

"Statement of one of the candidates of AAP of Goa elections in 2022 is also recorded during this period. He has allegedly revealed that he was not having any money and his election expenditure (all expenses for rallies/events/public hoardings) was taken care by AAP Office Delhi only through their associates," it also said.

The ED also summoned AAP Goa chief Amit Palekar to confront him with Kejriwal.

During the hearing, Kejriwal himself submitted that he was not opposing the application for custodial remand. He, however, claimed the entire case was a political conspiracy and the agency was being used to extract statement from approver against him.

He also contended the ED can't force him to unlock his devices.

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The ED had earlier claimed Kejriwal was the kingpin and key conspirator of the Delhi excise scam as he was involved in formulating the policy in 2021-22 to favour certain persons and in exchange of bribe over Rs 100 Cr.

It claimed Rs 45 Cr, the part of money received through Hawala routes, were used in Goa Assembly elections.

During the ED remand period, summons were issued to senior excise officials in Punjab who were involved in the arm-twisting of certain wholesalers of Delhi when they refused to pay the demanded bribes in Delhi.

"The factories of these wholesalers were either shut down or not allowed to dispatch their goods in Punjab by these Punjab Excise Officials when the demands of bribes were not fulfilled in Delhi. However, they could not appear on these summons due to Hooch Tragedy in Sangrur Punjab and sought some time," the agency said.

The agency registered the money laundering case on August 22, 2022 in relation of scheduled offences of the CBI which lodged its case on August 17, 2022 in connection with irregularities committed in framing and implementation of excise policy for the year 2021-22 and payment of bribe.  

[Read Order]