• By Mayukh Debnath
  • Sat, 23 Mar 2024 02:50 PM (IST)
  • Source:ANI

Arvind Kejriwal Arrest: New Delhi on Saturday lodged a strong protest with Berlin over Germany's remarks in the aftermath of Delhi Chief Minister and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal's arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the Delhi excise policy case, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. With his arrest, Kejriwal became the first sitting CM in the history of India to be put behind bars.

In a statement following Kejriwal's arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday, the spokesperson of the German Foreign Office said, "We have taken note, India is a democratic country. We assume and expect that the standards relating to independence of Judiciary and basic democratic principles will also be applied in this case."

Berlin had also emphasised the need to uphold the legal principle of presumption of innocence in the case, saying, "Like anyone facing accusations, Mr Kejriwal is entitled to a fair and impartial trial, this includes he can make use of all available legal avenues without restrictions. The presumption of innocence is a central element of the rule of law and must apply to him."

In response to the statement, the MEA summoned the Deputy Head of German Embassy, George Enzweiler, raised New Delhi's objection to the "blatant interference" in India's internal matters by Germany's foreign office, the ministry said in a press release. "We see such remarks as interfering in our judicial process and undermining the independence of our judiciary," the MEA said in its communique.

The release added, "As in all legal cases in the country, and elsewhere in the democratic world, law will take its own course in the instant matter. Biased assumptions made on this account are most unwarranted." On Friday, Kejriwal was remanded to the ED's custody for six days by a Delhi court.

The excise policy case pertains to alleged irregularities and money laundering linked to the framing and implementation of the 2022 Delhi excise policy, which was later scrapped. In its arguments before the court, the ED alleged that Kejriwal was the "key conspirator" and "kingpin" in demanding kickbacks from businessmen.

The central probe agency further claimed that Kejriwal was directly involved in the formation of the now-scrapped excise policy. The ED's counsel claimed that Vijay Nair, who was the media in charge of AAP, was working for the Delhi CM. Nair, who the agency said lives adjacent to the residence of Kejriwal, acted as a middleman between the AAP and the 'South group', a lobby of liquor traders.

(With inputs from ANI)