The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal today in the liquor policy case.
The following action by the ED took place after the Delhi High Court refused to grant him protection from coercive action in an excise policy-linked money laundering case.
“This is very clearly a conspiracy. In two years, ED and CBI have not been able to find even Rs 1 of proceeds of crime. The Delhi high court had today given notice to ED. So, what was the need to deploy thousands of police personnel and paramilitary forces here? PM Modi wants Kejriwal arrested before the Lok Sabha polls,” said AAP leader and Delhi Minister Atishi.
AAP workers have been staging protest outside the residence of Kejriwal.
The Delhi Police stepped up security and deployed additional personnel around chief minister’s residence in Civil Lines as an Enforcement Directorate team reached there.
“The deployment has been made in anticipation of a gathering of AAP workers near his residence,” a police officer said. Barricades were put up on the lane leading to his official residence in Civil Lines in north Delhi and additional police personnel deployed there, officials said. Officers of the rank of assistant commissioner of police have also been deployed near the chief minister’s residence, they said.
Meanwhile Kejriwal moved Supreme Court after Delhi HC has refused to grant any interim protection from coercive action. The legal team is making an attempt to seek an urgent listing and hearing on the matter.
Trinamool Congress condemns the arrest of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. “We vehemently condemn the arrest of Arvind Kejriwal, an elected CM, especially when EC is in charge & MCC is in place”, said TMC leader Derek O’Brien.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday said targeting the AAP leader during elections is wrong and unconstitutional, and lowering the level of politics in such a manner neither suits the prime minister nor the BJP-led Centre.
“A scared dictator wants to create a dead democracy. While capturing all the institutions including the media, breaking up the parties, extorting money from companies, freezing the account of the main opposition party was not enough for the ‘devilish power’, now the arrest of the elected Chief Ministers has also become a common thing,” said Rahul Gandhi.
The investigative agency, Enforcement Directorate (ED), is investigating allegations that a liquor policy implemented by the Delhi government in 2022, which ended its control over sale of liquor in the capital, gave undue advantages to private retailers. The policy was subsequently withdrawn.
 arrested Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal today in the liquor policy case.){kind=link}