Arvind Kejriwal "Invited" His Arrest By Ignoring Summons: Himanta Biswa Sarma

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday took a jibe at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over his arrest in the excise policy case, saying that ignoring multiple summons is akin to inviting one's own arrest.

He added had Mr Kejriwal responded to the Enforcement Directorate's initial summons, his arrest could have been avoided.

"When someone is summoned 8 to 9 times and the person does not respect the summon, it only means that the person is inviting his arrest. If he had gone (to ED) the first time he was summoned, he would not have been arrested," he said.

In response to Mr Kejriwal's arrest, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) announced a citywide protest in Delhi. The party plans to hold a candlelight march and effigy burning on Sunday to express their opposition to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and what they term as the 'fake arrest' of Mr Kejriwal. The AAP believes that this arrest could be a turning point leading to the ousting of the BJP government.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the AAP said, "There will be a candle march and effigy burning across Delhi tomorrow in protest against the dictatorship of the BJP and the fake arrest of Arvind Kejriwal. Now the people of Delhi have come out on the streets in protest against the arrest of CM Arvind Kejriwal. We all have to stand together as the shield of Arvind Kejriwal. The arrest of Arvind Kejriwal will prove to be the last nail to oust the Modi government from power."

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was arrested on March 21 by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) in connection with the now-scrapped excise policy case.

Kejriwal, on Saturday, moved to the Delhi High Court, challenging his arrest and the order of remand passed by the trial court on March 22.

His legal team said that his plea in Delhi High Court stated that both the arrest and the remand order are 'illegal' and he is entitled to be released from custody immediately.

An immediate hearing has been sought from the Acting Chief Justice, preferably on Sunday, March 24.

The ED, which was given the custody of Delhi Chief Minister till March 28 by the court, has alleged that the Aam Adami Party (AAP) is the major beneficiary of the proceeds of crime generated in the alleged liquor scam.

The Rouse Avenue Court on Friday remanded Kejriwal to six days of ED custody in the money laundering case related to the alleged liquor policy scam case till March 28.

Special CBI judge Kaveri Baweja of the Rouse Avenue Courts passed the order after Kejriwal was produced today following his arrest last night by the central probe agency. The ED sought 10 days remand of Kejriwal in its custody.

Kejriwal was arrested by the central agency late Thursday night on charges of corruption in relation to the Delhi excise policy case. It is the first time in independent India that a serving Chief Minister has been arrested. The move came after Kejriwal skipped multiple summons by the investigation agency, nine in total, calling them "illegal".

The case pertains to alleged irregularities and money laundering in framing and implementing the Delhi Excise Policy 2022, which was later scrapped.

While Kejriwal was not named in the FIRs registered by the ED or the Central Bureau of Investigation in the Delhi excise policy case, his name first found a mention in the ED's chargesheet, wherein the agency claimed that he allegedly spoke to one of the main accused, Sameer Mahendru, in a video call and asked him to continue working with co-accused and AAP communications-in-charge Vijay Nair.

Nair was among the first people to be arrested by the CBI in the case, in 2022. Subsequently, former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh were arrested in connection with the case.