Arvind Kejriwal arrested by ED in liquor probe, to be produced in court tomorrow
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal arrested by ED in liquor probe, becomes 2nd sitting CM arrested after Jharkhand's Hemant Soren. AAP moves SC for relief.
Arvind Kejriwal is the second sitting chief minister to be arrested recently, following former Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren. Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on Thursday in connection with a liquor probe. This makes him the second sitting chief minister to be arrested recently, after Jharkhand's Hemant Soren. Unlike Soren, who made way for Champai Soren to assume the government's leadership, the AAP leadership announced that Kejriwal would continue as chief minister, with the national capital being governed from jail. Kejriwal's arrest comes a week after another significant arrest related to the liquor probe, where BRS leader K Kavitha was arrested in Hyderabad and brought to New Delhi.
Kavitha's arrest suggested that Kejriwal might be the next target for the ED, and a high court order on Thursday made this easier by denying Kejriwal protection from any coercive action by the agency. Following the high court verdict, ED officials went to Kejriwal's residence in Civil Lines with a search warrant and arrested him after a few hours.
Kejriwal had been summoned by the ED to join the probe since last year, but he had skipped all the summons, citing various engagements. Kejriwal moved the court, challenging the ED summons as unconstitutional. However, the court stated on Thursday that it had no intention of intervening in the case at this stage.
The case revolves around a liquor policy that was scrapped due to corruption allegations. Earlier, Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh were arrested in connection with the same case.
Delhi minister and AAP leader Atishi stated that the party has filed a petition in the Supreme Court to quash Kejriwal's arrest. "We have requested an urgent hearing by the Supreme Court tonight," Atishi posted on X.
Meanwhile, the AAP leadership confirmed that Kejriwal would remain the chief minister, based on a survey of 'Main Bhi Kejriwal' in 23.8 lakh households in Delhi.
Arvind Kejriwal, 55, became Delhi's chief minister in 2013, riding the wave of the anti-corruption movement he led with Anna Hazare. He was the second youngest chief minister of Delhi but resigned a year later after failing to table the Jan Lokpal Bill in the Delhi Assembly. He reclaimed the position in 2015 after his Aam Aadmi Party won the election with a majority, and again in 2020.
Kejriwal studied mechanical engineering at IIT-Kharagpur and joined the Indian Revenue Service as an assistant commissioner of income tax in 1995 after passing the civil services examination. He resigned from his position as joint commissioner of income tax in 2006.
PREVIOUS STORY
We hate spam as much as you do
© Hindeez 2024, All Rights Reserved
