Liquor policy scandal: Arvind Kejriwal, K Kavitha remain in custody as it’s extended by 14 days

Arvind Kejriwal, the Delhi Chief Minister, and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi leader, both in Delhi’s Tihar Jail, are scheduled to 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 and denied Kejriwal immediate relief pending a reply from the federal agency. Both Kejriwal and the AAP have denied all charges and accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of “political vendetta” before the election.

The AAP and the opposition have repeatedly claimed that federal agencies target opposition leaders on instructions from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, a claim that has been denied by the center. Additionally, Kejriwal, a Type 2 diabetes patient, recently received his first shot of insulin in 32 days, after his blood sugar levels spiked to 320 mg/dl.

The ED opposed his plea for insulin injections, claiming that he deliberately elevated his glucose levels by eating high sugar food items to apply for medical bail. Meanwhile, Kavitha, the daughter of former Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, has a bail plea outcome pending in Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court on May 2.

She was arrested by the ED on March 15 from her home in Hyderabad, triggering a dispute with her brother and BRS leader KT Rama Rao. The case against her alleges involvement in a cartel of businesspersons who paid an alleged Rs 600 crore in bribes to the AAP for liquor licenses.

Kavitha has also denied the charges and questioned the timing of ED and CBI action against her, before the general election. In relation to this case, the ED has also arrested two other AAP leaders, former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh.

The court remarked that nothing has been recovered and there is no trace of the alleged money received by the AAP as bribes from the ‘South group’. NDTV is now available on WhatsApp channels.