GUWAHATI: The United States has said it is expecting a “fair and legal process” for arrested Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal just days after the German foreign ministry spoke in a similar vein.
A State Department official is reported to have said on March 25, “We encourage a fair, transparent, and timely legal process for Chief Minister Kejriwal”.
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On March 22, Sebastian Fischer, a spokesperson for Germany’s foreign ministry, answering a question on how the German federal government assessed Kejriwal’s arrest, said, “We have taken note of the case. India is a democratic country. We assume and expect that the standards relating to the independence of the judiciary and fundamental democratic principles will also apply in this case.”
Fischer added that Kejriwal is “entitled to a fair, unbiased trial”, which he said “includes the right to make use of all existing legal remedies without restriction”.
“The presumption of innocence is a central element of the rule of law and must apply to it [Kejriwal’s case],” Fischer mentioned.
In response, the External Affairs Ministry on March 23, summoned the German deputy chief of mission in New Delhi and conveyed to him “India’s strong protest on their Foreign Office Spokesperson’s comments on our internal affairs”.
Further, the MEA mentioned that it perceived “such remarks as interfering in our judicial process and undermining the independence of our judiciary”.
Kejriwal was arrested on March 21 and subsequently remanded to the ED's custody till March 28 by a Delhi court.
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The Delhi High Court will hear a petition by Kejriwal challenging his arrest by the ED, on Wednesday.
The case pertains to the alleged corruption and money laundering in formulating and executing the Delhi government's excise policy for 2021-22 which was later scrapped. Top AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh are in judicial custody in the case.