Arvind Kejriwal, in an interview with India Today TV, asserted that he would not step down as Delhi Chief Minister and would continue to govern even if he had to do so from jail. These statements from the AAP leader came after a district court granted him six-day custody to the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Following his remand by the court in connection with the liquor policy case, Kejriwal expressed his determination to remain in office, emphasizing that governance would persist regardless of his location.
“I will not resign as Chief Minister of Delhi. If needed, I will run the government from jail,” he affirmed during the conversation with India Today TV.
Asserting his commitment further, Kejriwal stated, “Andar ho ya bahar, sarkar wahi se chalegi [Whether I am inside (jail) or outside, the government will run from there].”
The decision to grant Kejriwal’s custody till March 28 came after a prolonged hearing in the Delhi court, where Special Judge Kaveri Baweja sided with the ED’s request for his custody. This development followed Kejriwal’s arrest by the probe agency from his official residence a day prior.
During the court proceedings, the ED labeled Kejriwal as a “key conspirator” in the alleged excise policy scam case, implicating other AAP ministers and party members as well. The agency accused Kejriwal of receiving significant kickbacks from the ‘South group’ for his involvement in formulating and executing the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22.
On the legal front, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Kejriwal, highlighted the unprecedented nature of the arrest, emphasizing that this was the first time a sitting Chief Minister had been detained in India’s history.
“The power of arrest is not equal to the need of arrest, and there was no necessity of arresting this man,” Singhvi argued before the court.