NEW DELHI: A day after a Delhi court sent Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to the custody of the Directorate of Enforcement (ED), senior AAP leader and minister Atishi on Saturday said the ruling party in the national capital will hold an ‘explosive’ press conference on the money trail in the excise policy case.
Taking to her official X handle, Atishi posted, “Explosive PC at 10 am today on the money trail from the Delhi Excise Policy. Watch this space.”
Chief Minister Kejriwal was on Friday remanded to ED custody for seven days—till March 28, a day after he was arrested by the central probe agency in connection with alleged money laundering in connection with the Delhi excise policy case.
Special CBI judge Kaveri Baweja of the Rouse Avenue Court passed the order after Kejriwal was produced on Friday following his arrest after questioning on Thursday night.
Senior advocates Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Vikram Chaudhari, and Ramesh Gupta, along with counsels Rajat Bharadwaj, Mudit Jain and Mohd Irshad appeared for the Delhi CM.
ASG SV Raju and Special Counsel Zoheb Hossain appeared for the probe agency.
The case pertains to alleged irregularities and money laundering in framing and implementing the Delhi excise policy case 2022, which was later scrapped.
Speaking to reporters after the court remanded the AAP supremo to ED custody, Atishi said her the party would explore all legal routes going forward.
“We, very respectfully and humbly disagree with the decision of the court. The ED has no proof even after 2 years of investigation… ED forced their witnesses to give statements against Arvind Kejriwal… We will explore all possible legal routes. One by one, Opposition parties are being targeted and their leaders dragged to courts. Arvind Kejriwal will remain the CM of Delhi. There is no constitutional bar on him on being the CM. He has not been convicted as yet,” she said.
Meanwhile, even as the arrest of a sitting chief minister put the BJP-led Centre in the line of Opposition fire, the AAP said it will ‘gherao’ Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence on March 26 to register its protest against Kejriwal’s arrest, the senior party’s leader Gopal Rai said on Friday.
The case pertains to alleged irregularities and money laundering in framing and implementing the Delhi excise policy case 2022, which was later scrapped.
Two senior AAP leaders, Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh, are already in judicial custody in connection with the excise policy case. Sisodia, who was the deputy chief minister when the liquor policy was formulated, was arrested by the CBI on February 26 following several rounds of questioning.
On October 5, the ED arrested Sanjay Singh, a Rajya Sabha member.
Kejriwal’s arrest came days after the ED arrested Bharat Rashta Samithi (BRS) leader and daughter of former Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, K Kavitha, in connection with its investigation into money laundering charges linked to the now-scrapped excise policy.
Kavitha was later remanded in ED custody till March 23. (ANI)