Arvind Kejriwal Faces 14-Day Judicial Custody Over Delhi Liquor Policy Issue

The CBI has requested custody of Mr. Kejriwal, citing the “interest of investigation and justice”. A special judge had reserved the order as Mr. Kejriwal was brought to the court after the conclusion of his three-day CBI custody. The CBI alleges that Mr. Kejriwal did not cooperate and provided evasive responses. According to the agency, he failed to provide a proper and truthful explanation for the enhancement of the profit margin for wholesalers and the hurried cabinet approval for the revised excise policy during the peak of the second wave of Covid.

The agency also accused Mr. Kejriwal of evading questions on meetings conducted by his associate with stakeholders of the liquor business in Delhi, as well as his own meetings with individuals involved in the case. The CBI expressed concerns about Mr. Kejriwal’s potential influence as a prominent politician and Chief Minister of Delhi, claiming that there are reasons to believe he may influence witnesses and evidence and tamper with evidence during the ongoing investigation. This follows Mr. Kejriwal’s earlier arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on money laundering allegations related to the framing of the Delhi liquor policy for 2021-22, which was subsequently scrapped after objections were raised by the Lieutenant Governor. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has consistently maintained that the Centre is misusing its agencies to target the opposition with baseless allegations.