New Delhi: The court decided on Saturday to hold Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in judicial custody until July 12 (14 days) for his involvement in a corruption case linked to the liquor scam. Following three days of questioning in custody, Kejriwal was presented in court by the CBI on Saturday. Following this, Special Judge Sunena Sharma detained her for a period of 14 days and postponed her ruling on the petition.
Kejriwal was taken into custody by the CBI due to discrepancies in his administration's excise policy. On March 21, he was previously apprehended by the ED for a financial misappropriation case concerning liquor policy. The Delhi High Court approved his bail request. The court was approached by the CBI to request a 14-day custody of Kejriwal. He also stated in court that his custody is crucial for the investigation and justice to prevail. Following this, Special Judge Sunena Sharma decided to delay making a decision on the petition.
The CBI informed the court that Kejriwal failed to assist in the investigation and intentionally provided conflicting responses compared to the evidence on file. The CBI informed the court that they did not provide a correct explanation for the rise in profit margin for wholesalers from 5 percent to 12 percent under the new excise duty policy of 2021-22 in Delhi without conducting any study or justification.
Kejriwal avoided answering queries regarding Vijay Nair's interaction with different stakeholders in Delhi's alcohol industry and was unable to provide a clear rationale for the meeting involving Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy, accused Arjun Pandey, and accused Mutha Gowtham.
The CBI mentioned that he avoided answering queries about his party's transfer and use of Rs 44.54 crore of illegally acquired money in the 2021-22 Goa assembly elections.
