In response to comments made by India over the detention of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in connection with the liquor policy issue, the US called for “fair, transparent, timely legal processes” once more on Wednesday.
In response to inquiries about India summoning Gloria Berbena, the US Acting Deputy Chief of Mission in New Delhi, US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said, “We continue to closely monitor these actions, including the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.”
India voiced significant objections to the US remarks regarding Mr. Kejriwal’s arrest during the almost 40-minute meeting that took place yesterday at the foreign ministry’s South Block office.
In response to a query regarding the Congress party’s frozen bank accounts, Miller stated, “We are also aware of the Congress party’s allegations that tax authorities have frozen some of their bank accounts in a manner that will make it challenging to effectively campaign in the upcoming elections.”
He stated that for each of these matters, “fair, transparent, and timely legal processes” are encouraged by the US.
Regarding your first query, I won’t discuss any confidential diplomatic discussions, but naturally, we have stated publicly—and I’ve stated it again now—that we support just, open, and prompt legal procedures. We don’t believe that anyone ought to object,” he declared.
Following Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh, Mr. Kejriwal became the third leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to be detained in relation to the purported liquor policy fraud when he was picked up by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) last week.
The US State Department urged New Delhi to provide “a fair and timely legal process” for the imprisoned Chief Minister on Tuesday, stating that it is keeping an eye on reports of Mr. Kejriwal’s imprisonment.
India protested against it and issued a “unhealthy precedents” warning.
States have an obligation to respect other people’s sovereignty and internal affairs; this obligation is particularly great when dealing with other democracies. If not, it can wind up creating unfavourable precedents, according to the foreign ministry.
“The foundation of India’s legal systems is an independent judiciary dedicated to prompt and impartial decisions. It is inappropriate to make fun of that, the ministry emphasised.
Days after Germany’s Foreign Office emphasised that Kejriwal is entitled to a fair trial, the US made these remarks. Reacting angrily, the Indian government called for the German envoy, describing their statement as “blatant interference in internal matters”.
The excise policy was implemented in an attempt to restructure Delhi’s spirits industry; however, it was abandoned when Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena directed an investigation into the programme’s purported anomalies. According to the ED, the AAP’s election campaigns were allegedly funded with bribe money obtained under the policy. Also, it referred to Kejriwal as a “conspirator” in the matter.
Intense demonstrations from the opposition camp have also been sparked by his imprisonment, which occurred right before the 2024 Lok Sabha election.
