GUWAHATI: A Delhi court has granted the Enforcement Directorate (ED) an extension of custody over Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal till April 1 in connection with the money laundering case related to the now-scrapped Delhi Excise Policy.
Special Judge Kaveri Baweja passed the order for remand extension after Kejriwal's arrest on March 21. The ED had alleged that Kejriwal was the "key conspirator" in the money laundering case, reports stated.
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Initially remanded to ED custody till March 28, Kejriwal faced further remand as the ED sought seven more days, eventually being granted four additional days.
Representing the ED, Additional Solicitor General SV Raju argued that Kejriwal's statements to the ED had been evasive and that he was not cooperating with the investigation.
Kejriwal, addressing the court personally, did not oppose the remand extension, stating, "I am not opposing the ED's plea for remand. They can keep me in custody for as long as they want. But this is all a scam."
The ED's move marks the first time a sitting Chief Minister in India has been incarcerated while in office, sparking multiple rounds of litigation before the Supreme Court and the Delhi High Court.
As per reports, a plea against Kejriwal's arrest was initially filed before the Supreme Court but was withdrawn the following day. Subsequently, the battle for his release began before a Delhi trial court on March 22.
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The Delhi High Court, on March 27, declined interim relief and instructed the ED to respond to the matter by April 2. Additionally, a public interest litigation (PIL) was filed to remove Kejriwal from office, which was dismissed by the High Court hours before the remand hearing today.
"The situation today is something that was not imagined. There is no legal bar today," the High Court observed while dismissing the PIL.
