Arvind Kejriwal News LIVE Updates: Delhi CM remains in ED custody till April 1; wife alleges 'harassment'

Congress leader Gurjeet Singh Aujla said that INDIA alliance is strongly fighting elections but the “BJP is using ED and trying character assassination of those candidates who can win.”

“If BJP has done good work then why don’t they give tickets to the party workers? Why they’re importing people from outside and other parties?… The fight is about who will make the PM, INDIA alliance or they (NDA), we will do everything to make PM,” he said on Thursday.

AAP leader and Delhi minister Gopal Rai said that leadership of all political parties are coming to Delhi on 31st March, for INDIA alliance’ Maha rally, ‘Chalo Ramlila Maidan’.

“Today, around 2,500 teams of AAP have been formed to invite people to join us for ‘Chalo Ramlila Maidan’ on 31st March. I have the confidence that people will reach Ramlila Maidan to protest against Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest. We are in contact with various political parties and their schedule will be finalised soon…”

Congress MP Deepender Hooda says, “…There is anger in the entire country about this (his arrest by ED), we condemn it. INDIA Alliance will hold a rally at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi on March 31…Today the Constitution has come in danger, constitutional rights have come in danger, today there is a need to save the Constitution, democracy…”

BJP Delhi President Virendraa Sachdeva says, “…The investigative agency is doing its work, I think we should let them do their work; everything is going to be apparent when things will come in court…I welcome this decision…”

“CM Arvind Kejriwal had said that give as many days of remand, ED asked for the 7 days and the court granted a 4-days remand. The CM has exposed something big today that the real liquor scam started after the agencies started their investigation… the arrest of the CM is illegal, we have challenged it and the High Court will hear it on April 3…” AAP national spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar said.

BJP leader Shazia Ilmi says, “…You (Sunita Kejriwal) had said that Arvind Kejriwal would give some explosive statement, but nothing like that happened. Is Kejriwal confused or trying to confuse us all? Because the question here is about bribery, it is about the whole liquor scam, not about electoral bonds…Arvind Kejriwal please explain the difference between electoral bonds and bribery and why he has been found involved in the bribery case…”

“CM (Arvind Kejriwal) tried to explain how all this (his arrest by ED) is a ‘political conspiracy’. They (BJP) don’t want Arvind Kejriwal to participate in the elections. They fear that he is the only one whose questions BJP and PM Modi cannot answer,” says advocate Somnath Bharti on court extending Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s ED custody till April

Sunita Kejriwal voices concern over Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s declining health, alleging harassment amidst ongoing legal proceedings.

CM Arvind Kejriwal claimed that the real liquor scam began post-ED scam and it has created a smokescreen against AAP. The ED launched an extortion racket. This was the real money trail.  Read more here

“It’s being alleged that there it was a ₹100 crore scam…Justice Sanjiv Khanna said that the money trail is not yet traced…The motive of ED is to crush the Aam Aadmi Party,” submits Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal before Rouse Avenue Court during his ED remand hearing.

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal before Rouse Avenue Court makes a statement on the issue of electoral bonds and states that BJP is getting money. ED opposes the statement made by Arvind Kejriwal.

Kejriwal alleges political conspiracy behind his arrest. He points out that people are being turned ‘approver’ in the case and they are being forced to change their statements.

“I am named by 4 witnesses in excise policy case, are 4 statements enough to arrest a sitting CM. Smokescreen of AAP being corrupt created in front of nation”: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal said in court.

The Enforcement Directorate seeks seven days extension of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s custody remand.

This is a “political conspiracy”, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said as he arrived at the Rouse Avenue Court in the national capital for a hearing in the excise policy-linked money laundering case. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the case on March 21 and subsequently he was sent to remand till March 28 by the court. “This is a political conspiracy. The people will give an answer,” Kejriwal told reporters as he entered the courtroom. He is being produced before Special Judge Kaveri Baweja.

AAP ministers Atishi, Gopal Rai and Saurabh Bharadwaj along with the chief minister’s wife Sunita Kejriwal were inside the court. Court sources said the ED is likely to seek an extension of the chief minister’s custodial remand. .

The Delhi High Court rejects PIL against Arvind Kejriwal continuing as CM while under ED custody. The court notes that there is no constitutional bar on Kejriwal continuing as CM. The court holds that there is no scope for judicial interference. Delhi HC notes that if there is a breakdown in constitutional machinery, it is for the LG or President to act.

AAP Goa president Amit Palekar arrives at the ED office in Panaji.

ED summoned Palekar, Ramarao Wagh, Datta Prasad Naik and president of Bhandari Samaj – Ashok Naik, asking them to join the investigation today.

“The most money from companies accused of money laundering has come to BJP in the form of donation through electoral bonds. The PM said that to distribute this money collected by the ED, it will have to make a law. But to distribute or use for public interest, the money the BJP received from companies accused of money laundering, it doesn’t need to make any law. BJP needs to say that they will not use this money in campaigning.”

On Sushil Kumar Rinku joining BJP, AAP Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj says, “Our (Punjab) MLAs have told us how money, Lok Sabha candidature, Y plus security was offered to them for joining BJP. It needs to be understood why one will leave the number one party and join the party which is on number four. It is clear that BJP is trying to topple AAP government (in Punjab).

Security been beefed up outside Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) headquarters in Delhi. CM Arvind Kejriwal, who is under ED custody in connection with the excise policy case, will be produced before the Rouse Avenue Court later today.

“Every citizen has a right to approach the court of law, raise a grievance. That is what Arvind Kejriwal has done with his petition through his legal advisors. But equally, the ED has the right to respond to it. This is a court process, the court will decide about what has to happen. The large political issue is why did Arvind Kejriwal consistently choose to stay from summons on eight occasions. The larger question is that there is a serious allegation of a corruption scandal or a scam on Delhi government of which Arvind Kejriwal is the CM. Two of his ministers are in jail. He has to explain whether the process that was followed was correct or not. The Goa team of the AAP will also have to respond to it. These are the larger questions.”

A spokesperson for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday, March 27, criticised Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s alleged lack of cooperation with the Enforcement Directorate (ED), following the Delhi High Court’s hearing on his arrest.

Shaina NC alleged that Kejriwal chose to engage in Vipassana meditation for 10 days to avoid commenting on ED’s allegations or addressing the incarceration of his party leaders like Sanjay Singh and Manish Sisodia.

Read more here

“Three of our Punjab MLAs held a press conference there. They said that not only these three but a majority of our MLAs received phone calls wherein they were lured to join the BJP. I think what Arvind Kejriwal was saying earlier has turned out to be true today – Operation Lotus has been floated just to break AAP and topple our governments in Delhi and Punjab. But we are proud of our MLAs that they brought this to the knowledge of party leadership and held a press conference.”

While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs held a demonstration demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who has been arrested by the ED in an excise policy-linked money laundering case, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislators and their supporters raised slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Both parties staged protests simultaneously. As the BJP legislators took out a march carrying placards, the AAP leaders and workers, dressed in yellow T-shirts, started raising slogans against Modi while following the saffron party’s MLAs.

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday (March 27) refused to grant interim relief to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is in the custody of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), in connection with a money laundering case linked to the Delhi excise policy scam.

Read the full report here

Trinamool Congress will send its representatives to the March 31 rally of the INDIA bloc against the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal by the Enforcement Directorate. The INDIA bloc has announced the ‘maha rally’ at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan following Kejriwal’s arrest in an excise policy-linked money-laundering case on March 21. While the TMC has maintained a distance from the opposition’s alliance after seat-sharing talks with the Congress in West Bengal failed, it has asserted that it remains a part of the INDIA bloc as a formation against the ideology of the ruling BJP.

The ED has accused the AAP leader of “being involved in the entire conspiracy of the Delhi liquor scam, in drafting and implementation of the policy, for favouring and benefiting the quid pro receiving kickbacks and eventually using part of the proceeds of crime generated out of the scheduled offence in the election campaign for the Goa Assembly elections”.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is likely to be produced before a Delhi court on Thursday on the conclusion of his Enforcement Directorate (ED) custodial remand. The federal probe agency had arrested Kejriwal on March 21 in connection with an excise policy-linked money laundering case. The next day, Special Judge Kaveri Baweja remanded him in the ED custody till March 28. The court remanded Kejriwal in the ED custody for six days after the agency pressed for his custodial interrogation for 10 days.