Arvind Kejriwal To Remain in Jail Till June 6

New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal, who was arrested in a defamation case on Wednesday, will remain in Delhi's Tihar Jail till June 6. His judicial custody was extended today after he refused to sign a personal bond for bail.(Kejriwal Sent to Tihar; AAP Leaders Detained During Protests Against His Arrest)

In a courtroom that was packed with his supporters, he argued his own case today. The judge reportedly refused to begin the hearing till the crowd cleared.

"I want to understand what my fault is. I just called a corrupt person corrupt," he told the judge, who in turn tried to explain to him that a personal signing a bond is a procedural requisite. But Mr Kejriwal refused saying it was against his principle to sign a bail bond.

Making an emotional appeal, Mr Kejriwal added, "I will not run away, you know it." But the judge retorted by saying that "I am simply following the procedure. I cannot treat you differently," and added that he could challenge the order in a higher court.

Slamming Mr Kejriwal, the judge also observed that "there is a lot of legal illiteracy in the country. Even educated people do not know about legal proceedings as to what is bail and what is bond. Being in the position you (Kejriwal) were, I expect you to be sensible."

The AAP chief was arrested after he refused to post bail in a case filed by BJP leader Nitin Gadkari. He was summoned by the court on a complaint by Mr Gadkari, who had been named in AAP's list of "India's most corrupt" in January. He was asked to furnish a personal bond, which is a contract of appearance that only needs his signature. Rs 10,000 is a forfeit required if he abstains from appearance. ( Nitin Gadkari slaps defamation notice on Arvind Kejriwal)

After he was taken to jail on Wednesday night, some 60 AAP supporters sat on the road outside and clashed with policemen, causing traffic chaos in the west Delhi area. Prohibitory orders were put in place and the protesters were bundled into buses and arrested. Among them were Mr Kejriwal's close aides Yogendra Yadav and Sanjay Singh. They were released yesterday.