After Kejriwal’s arrest, AAP office in Delhi ‘sealed’, matter to be raised with EC, claims Atishi

Delhi Minister and senior AAP leader Atishi on Saturday claimed that the Aam Aadmi Party office in Delhi has been “sealed off” from all sides. She said that the party will report the matter to the Election Commission.

In a post on X, Atishi questioned the “sealing” of the party office, saying it is against the “level playing field” promised by the Constitution.

“How can access to a national party office be stopped during the Lok Sabha election? This (is) against the ‘level playing field’ promised in the Indian Constitution. We are seeking time with the Election Commission (EC) to complain against this,” the Delhi minister said in her post.

Another senior AAP leader and Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj alleged that all access to the party office has been closed by the central government.

“We will approach EC, the central government has closed all access to AAP head office at ITO, that too in Model Code of Conduct,” he said in a post on X.

The AAP office at DDU Marg near ITO in central Delhi was also blocked on Friday during a protest by party leaders and volunteers at the BJP headquarters, just a few metres ahead of it, against the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

The Delhi chief minister has been remanded in Enforcement Directorate custody till March 28, following his arrest by the agency in connection with a money-laundering case linked to Delhi’s now-scrapped excise policy.

A court on Saturday extended the Enforcement Directorate custody of BRS leader K Kavitha, an accused in the Delhi excise policy scam case, till March 26.

The federal probe agency has sought a five-day extension of her custody.

The ED has alleged that Kavitha, the daughter of former Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao, was a key member of the ‘South Group’ that has been accused of paying the AAP kickbacks of Rs 100 crore in return for a big share of liquor licences in the national capital.

After producing her in court, the ED said that she was confronted with the statements of four people and a forensic report of the data extracted from her phone. The probe agency also told the court that raids were being conducted at the house of her nephew in Hyderabad.

BRS leader’s counsel filed a bail plea in court.

Kavitha, 46, a Telangana Legislative Council member, was arrested by the central probe agency from her residence at Banjara Hills in Hyderabad on March 15.

(With PTI inputs)