Arvind Kejriwal: Court allows CBI to formally arrest Delhi CM

A Delhi court on Wednesday allowed the CBI to formally arrest Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the alleged excise scam.

The CBI arrested Kejriwal after Special Judge Amitabh Rawat passed the order.

The application was moved by the central probe agency after the AAP leader was produced before the court from Tihar central jail.

Kejriwal is in prison in connection with the excise scam money laundering case probed by the ED.

Also read: Delhi HC stays Arvind Kejriwal’s bail; AAP to appeal to SC against decision

However, the Delhi BJP on Wednesday said Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was bound to be arrested by the CBI in the excise policy case as the agency had presented incriminating documents against him in court.

The documents presented before the court in the excise policy “scam” established that Kejriwal was the “mastermind” behind it. The excise policy was formulated under his supervision and a “big scam” was committed, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva told PTI Videos.

There was no immediate reaction from Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on his arrest by the CBI or the BJP’s claims.

Earlier in the day, a Delhi court allowed the CBI to formally arrest Kejriwal in the alleged excise scam.

The CBI arrested Kejriwal after Special Judge Amitabh Rawat passed the order.

Kejriwal has been in prison since April 1 in connection with the excise policy-linked money laundering case being probed by the Enforcement Directorate.

Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 was withdrawn by the Kejriwal government in July 2022 after Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena recommended a CBI probe into alleged irregularities in its formulation and implementation.

Meanwhile, the AAP alleged on Wednesday that when there was a possibility of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal getting bail from the Supreme Court in a money laundering case, the BJP panicked and got him arrested in a “fake case” by the CBI.

Earlier in the day, a Delhi court allowed the CBI to formally arrest Kejriwal in the Delhi excise policy case.

The CBI arrested Kejriwal after Special Judge Amitabh Rawat passed the order. The agency has sought five-day custody of the chief minister in the case.

In a post in Hindi on X, the AAP said, “The dictator crossed all limits of cruelty!! Today when there was every possibility of Chief Minister @ArvindKejriwal getting bail, the BJP went into panic mode and got Kejriwal arrested by the CBI in a fake case.”

“The CBI took Kejriwal ji to Rouse Avenue Court where his blood sugar level dropped very low. Dictator, no matter how much oppression you inflict, Kejriwal will neither bow down nor break,” it said.

Kejriwal has been in prison since April 1 in connection with the excise policy-linked money laundering case being probed by the Enforcement Directorate.

On May 10, the Supreme Court had granted interim bail to Kejriwal for 21 days to campaign for the Lok Sabha elections. He returned to prison on June 2.

The Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 was withdrawn by the Kejriwal government in July 2022 after Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena recommended a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into alleged irregularities in its formulation and implementation.