As the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday called Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal the "key conspirator" in the liquor scam case, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo, in his first reaction after his arrest, said his life is dedicated to the country.
At the Rouse Avenue court in Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said his life is dedicated to the country whether he is "inside or outside."
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Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was produced in the trial court shortly after he withdrew from the Supreme Court his plea against arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in the excise policy-linked money laundering case.
Calling the chief minister 'kingpin' of the alleged scam, the ED told Special Judge Kaveri Baweja at the Rouse Avenue court that Kejriwal received several crores of rupees as kickbacks from the 'South group' for formulating and implementing Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22, a news agency PTI report mentioned.
Arvind Kejriwal demanded Rs 100 crore from some accused from 'South group' for contesting the Punjab elections, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) SV Raju, who was appearing for the ED, told the court.
The law officer said the money trail showed that Rs 45 crore "kickback" used in Goa elections came from four hawala routes.
He said the statements of the accused and witnesses have been corroborated by Call Detail Records (CDR).
The AAP chief was produced before in the court around 2 pm amid tight security on and around the court premises a day after he was arrested in the case .
"We have given an application for 10 days' remand," ASG Raju told the court, adding that the AAP is not an individual but a company, and every person responsible for the conduct of the company will be held responsible.
Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi was representing Kejriwal.
Kejriwal's counsel said he would contest the remand proceedings before the trial court and then come back to the apex court with another petition.
Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi said, "According to ED, the CM is arrested for non-cooperation. All necessary documents/ information are already in possession of ED and summoning him [Kejriwal] 'in person' is therefore a ploy to illegally arrest him and the present matter is a clear case of malice."
Singhvi, while concluding his arguments before the Special Judge, requested that the remand should not be looked at as a routine. "It requires the application of significant judicial mind...there are larger issues of democracy involved," Singhvi said.
