Arvind Kejriwal ignores summons, ‘invitation’ to arrest him: Himanta Biswa Sarma

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was arrested on March 21 (file photo)

Guwahati:

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday raised questions over Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest in the GST policy case scoffed, saying ignoring multiple subpoenas was like inviting yourself to be arrested.

He added that Mr Kejriwal’s arrest could have been avoided had he responded to the Enforcement Directorate’s initial summons.

“When someone is summoned 8 or 9 times and the person doesn’t respect the summons, it just means that the person is inviting his arrest. If he had gone (to the emergency room) the first time he was summoned, he wouldn’t have been arrested. Arrest,” he said.

In response to Mr Kejriwal’s arrest, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) announced city-wide protests in Delhi. The party plans to hold candlelight marches and burn effigies on Sunday to express their opposition to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and what they say is the “fake arrest” of Mr Kejriwal. AAP believes that this arrest could be a turning point that leads to the fall of the BJP government.

AAP in a statement on Saturday said, “Tomorrow there will be a candle march and burning of effigies in Delhi to protest against the dictatorship of the BJP and the fake arrest of Arvind Kejriwal. Now the people of Delhi have come out to protest Take to the streets to protest against the arrest of Arvind Kejriwal. We all must stand together and be Arvind Kejriwal’s shield. Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest will prove to be the key to overturning the The final nail in the coffin for the Di government’s power.”

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 21 in connection with the now-defunct GST policy case.

On Saturday, Kejriwal moved the Delhi High Court challenging the arrest warrant and remand order passed by the trial court on March 22.

His legal team said he argued in the Delhi High Court that both the arrest and the remand order were “unlawful” and that he was entitled to immediate release.

The Acting Chief Justice has been asked to hold a hearing immediately, preferably on Sunday, March 24.

A court extended the custody of the Delhi chief minister till March 28, with the department claiming that the Aam Adami Party (AAP) was the main beneficiary of the proceeds of crime in an alleged liquor scam.

The Rouse Avenue court on Friday remanded Kejriwal for six days till March 28 in a money laundering case related to the alleged liquor policy scam.

The order was passed by Special CBI Judge Kaveri Baweja of the Rouse Avenue Court after Kejriwal was produced before the court today after his arrest by the Central Investigative Agency last night. The ED sought remand of Kejriwal for 10 days.

Kejriwal was arrested by central agencies on Thursday night on corruption charges related to the Delhi excise policy case. This is the first time in independent India that a sitting chief minister has been arrested. Previously, Kejriwal had refused to accept summons from the investigating agency many times (nine times in total), calling it “illegal”.

The case relates to alleged irregularities and money laundering during the formulation and implementation of the Delhi Excise Duty Policy 2022, which was later repealed.

While Kejriwal’s name was not mentioned in the FIR registered by the education ministry or the Central Bureau of Investigation in the Delhi consumer policy case, his name was mentioned for the first time in the chargesheet of the education ministry, where the agency claimed that he was allegedly associated with one of the The main defendants were interviewed. Sameer Mahendru asked him to continue working with co-accused and AAP communications chief Vijay Nair during a video call.

Nair was one of the first people arrested by the CBI in 2022 in the case. Subsequently, former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and federal assembly member Sanjay Singh were arrested in connection with the case.