Arvind Kejriwal arrested by ED in liquor probe, to be produced in court tomorrow

Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi, was arrested on Thursday by the Enforcement Directorate as part of an investigation into the liquor probe.

This marks the second instance of a sitting chief minister being arrested recently, following Hemant Soren of Jharkhand. Despite the arrest, the AAP leadership confirmed that Kejriwal will continue as Chief Minister, indicating that governance will proceed from jail. Kejriwal’s arrest follows the recent apprehension of BRS leader K Kavitha from Hyderabad, also related to the liquor probe.

Speculation arose after Kavitha’s arrest that Kejriwal would be targeted by the ED next. Subsequently, a high court ruling on Thursday denied Kejriwal protection from coercive action by the agency, making his arrest more feasible. Following this verdict, ED officials executed a search warrant at Kejriwal’s Civil Lines residence and subsequently took him into custody.

Kejriwal had been summoned by the ED for questioning since last year, but he had avoided appearing, citing various commitments. He challenged the ED’s summons in court, arguing their unconstitutionality. However, the court’s decision on Thursday not to intervene at this stage dealt a significant blow to Kejriwal’s defense.

The case revolves around allegations of corruption related to the scrapped liquor policy. Earlier, Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh had been arrested in connection with the same case.