Following the Rouse Avenue Court’s approval for the CBI to question the AAP leader in court, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was taken into custody by the agency on Wednesday in relation to the liquor policy issue.
After being arrested, Kejriwal dropped his Supreme Court plea contesting the Delhi High Court’s decision to postpone his bail in the money laundering case.
On March 21, the ED detained Kejriwal in connection with a money laundering investigation involving the purported liquor policy fraud. Right now, he is being held at Tihar Jail.
The CBI requested Kejriwal’s detention in front of Rouse Avenue Court on Wednesday. The court did note that Kejriwal had not yet been placed under formal CBI arrest.
“I would like to seek formal custody to interrogate and make a formal arrest,” the CBI lawyer told the court.
Lawyer Vikram Chaudhari for Kejriwal disputed the CBI’s demand, claiming he was unaware that the CBI had filed an application with the court and obtained permission to examine him.
“The manner in which this has been done is of grave concern. Please allow us access to the documents and defer this hearing to tomorrow… Heavens will not fall if we file a reply,” Kejriwal’s counsel said.
On June 25, the CBI obtained Kejriwal’s statement from the jail and requested that he appear before the trial court on Wednesday.
Senior attorney DP Singh for the CBI asserted that the agency had the right to conduct the inquiry and that notifying the accused of their status was required by law.
“The law does not say that I have to tell them when I want to go and investigate him. The same thing happened in the case of K Kavitha. I only need the court’s permission,” the CBI said.
According to Kejriwal’s advocate, no notice under Section 41 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) was sent to appear for questioning.
“If My lords allow them to arrest him (Kejriwal), my lords will be allowing their shoulders to be used as a gun to shoot him. If My lords give them the permission to arrest, my lords will effectively be sanctifying the remand,” he said.
