Arvind Kejriwal sent to jail for 14 days, will be kept in Tihar Prison number 2
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was on Monday taken to Tihar jail, where he will be lodged in Prison Number 2.
Earlier in the day, a court sent Kejriwal to 14-day judicial custody in connection with the liquor policy-linked money laundering case.
The AAP chief, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 21, will stay alone in the barrack and be under 24-hour CCTV surveillance. Tight security was in place on the Tihar jail premises.
Kejriwal will be provided with medicines and a special diet in jail given his history of medical issues. He will be allowed to retain a religious locket that he currently wears.
The Rouse Avenue Court in Delhi delivered the verdict following the end of Kejriwal’s custody with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on April 1 (today).
During the hearing earlier today, Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, appearing for the ED, said that the agency was not asking for further remand in light of the Supreme Court’s recent judgment in former Tamil Nadu minister Senthil Balaji’s case.
Raju argued that Kejriwal’s conduct in the lock-up was “totally non-cooperative” and he was providing authorities with “evasive replies”. He also claimed that the Delhi Chief Minister was “misleading the investigation” into the liquor case.
“In future, we may require custody. That’s the only purpose [of the statement],” Raju told the court.
Meanwhile, Kejriwal’s lawyers have moved an application to allow the Delhi Chief Minister to carry three books – Bhagavad Gita, Ramayan and How Prime Ministers Decide by journalist Neerja Chaudhary – in jail.
Furthermore, the Delhi High Court has directed the ED to file a status report before the trial court on a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking to restrain Kejriwal from issuing orders or directions from custody. The High Court has ordered the federal agency to treat the PIL as its own representation.
Kejriwal was arrested on March 21 by the ED after being questioned at his official residence. He was sent to the custody of the federal agency till March 28. Then, his custody was extended by four days and it ended today.
The Delhi Chief Minister was produced before the court a day after the Opposition INDIA bloc’s mega rally was held in Ramlila Maidan to protest against his arrest.
The ‘Loktantra Bachao’ rally witnessed the participation of Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, party leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, People’s Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti, former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut, NCP founder Sharad Pawar, among others.
Kejriwal’s wife Sunita Kejriwal and former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s wife, Kalpana Soren, also addressed the gathering.