Arvind Kejriwal is the primary serving Chief Minister to be arrested within the nation.
New Delhi:
Battlelines are drawn after the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal by the Enforcement Directorate within the alleged liquor coverage rip-off, together with his Aam Aadmi Party calling nationwide protests exterior the BJP places of work immediately.
The Supreme Court is more likely to take up Mr Kejriwal’s petition in opposition to his arrest immediately, a day after it denied an pressing listening to in his plea in opposition to the raids. The probe company, in the meantime, will produce the Chief Minister in an ED court docket.
As a part of safety preparations, the police have closed all roads resulting in the AAP headquarters, at present permitting no vehicles and solely pedestrians on the highway. The AAP has summoned all its office-bearers, ministers and councillors on the predominant workplace at 10 am.
Water cannons and paramilitary forces have additionally been deployed on the DDU highway, which ends up in the BJP headquarters. The ITO Metro station will keep shut throughout 8 am-6 pm immediately on the recommendation of Delhi Police, the Delhi Metro mentioned.
Mr Kejriwal’s arrest, simply weeks forward of the Lok Sabha elections, has unleashed waves of protest by 1000’s of social gathering staff and condemnation from the Opposition camp. Congress chief Rahul Gandhi will go to Mr Kejriwal’s household immediately, mentioned sources.
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The AAP has mentioned that Mr Kejriwal will proceed to discharge his chief ministerial duties from jail – a prospect that will create a constitutional disaster, authorized consultants have mentioned.
Delhi minister Atishi addressed a press convention this morning and known as the arrest a “political conspiracy by the BJP”.
“It is the primary time {that a} sitting Chief Minister has been arrested by central authorities. In the nation’s historical past, it’s the first time that after the announcement of the Lok Sabha elections, the nationwide convenor of a nationwide social gathering has been arrested. Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest is BJP’s political conspiracy,” she mentioned.
The Arrest
The Enforcement Directorate, which is investigating a money laundering angle within the alleged liquor coverage rip-off, had known as Mr Kejriwal a “conspirator”.
The probe crew turned up at Mr Kejriwal’s home final night with a search warrant after he skipped 9 summonses by the central company. Later within the day, the Delhi High Court refused to grant him safety from arrest.
Read | AAP Says Arvind Kejriwal Will Remain Chief Minister. How Feasible Is That?
The company arrested him round 9 pm after a search and questioning session and took him to the ED workplace. His and his spouse’s telephones had been additionally confiscated and information was transferred from two tablets and a laptop computer at his home. Mr Kejriwal spent the evening in an ED lock-up after a medical check-up from the RML hospital, sources mentioned.
At a post-midnight press convention, AAP known as a nationwide protest in opposition to the BJP on Friday. In Delhi, the protest will take place exterior the BJP headquarters.
Mr Kejriwal’s arrest comes lower than per week after BRS chief Ok Kavitha was taken into custody within the liquor coverage case. Mr Kejriwal was named as a conspirator for the primary time after Ms Kavitha’s arrest.
