Arvind Kejriwal, K Kavitha to Remain in Detention as Custody Extended by 14 Days

Arvind Kejriwal, the Delhi Chief Minister, and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi leader, both in Tihar Jail, will appear in court on May 7. Kejriwal has a pending plea in the Supreme Court challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate on money laundering charges. The court heard the matter on April 15 but denied him immediate relief pending a reply from the federal agency.

The AAP and Kejriwal have denied all charges and accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of political vendetta. The AAP and the opposition have criticized federal agencies for targeting opposition leaders on instructions from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, a claim denied by the centre. In a related matter, Kejriwal, a Type 2 diabetes patient, received his first insulin shot in 32 days after his blood sugar levels spiked.

His plea for insulin injections had been opposed by the ED, claiming that he deliberately ate high sugar food items to elevate glucose levels and seek medical bail. Ms Kavitha, the daughter of former Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, awaits the outcome of a bail plea in Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court on May 2. The ED arrested her on March 15, sparking a conflict with her brother and BRS leader KT Rama Rao.

She is accused of being part of a cartel of businesspersons who allegedly paid bribes to the AAP for liquor licenses. Like Kejriwal, she has denied the charges and questioned the timing of the ED and CBI actions against her. The ED has also arrested two other AAP leaders in the case, former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh.

The court remarked that there was no trace of money allegedly received by AAP as bribes from the ‘South group,’ a point also made by the AAP and BRS colleagues.