Kejriwal showed up before the court through an online conference. The co-accused K Kavitha’s judicial custody has also been extended until April 23, the court declared.
The 55-year-old convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party is now being held in Tihar jail following his transfer from Enforcement Directorate (ED) confinement to judicial custody. The ED detained Kejriwal on the evening of March 21 after the high court declined to shield him from the federal government’s use of coercion.
The Supreme Court had earlier in the day sought an answer from the ED over a plea that Kejriwal filed contesting his arrest. The ED was instructed to respond by April 24 by the top court panel of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta, who also decided that the case would be heard the week of April 29.
The Delhi High Court affirmed the AAP convenor’s arrest on April 9, stating that Kejriwal had ignored nine summonses and had not cooperated with the probe, leaving the agency with “little” options.
The leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had filed a plea against his arrest by the ED and subsequent remand in the federal agency’s custody, but the court had dismissed it.
Concerning the development and implementation of the excise strategy for 2021–2022, which the Delhi government later abandoned, there have been allegations of corruption and money laundering.
The first chief minister to be arrested while in office is Kejriwal. In connection with the same case, his other coworkers Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain are likewise detained. Sanjay Singh, a member of the AAP in the Rajya Sabha, was released from Tihar jail earlier this month after receiving bail from the Supreme Court.
