ED arrested CM Arvind Kejriwal after 2 hours of interrogation, Atishi said – government will run from jail
ED arrested Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday night in a money laundering case related to the excise scam. Before this, ED searched his residence for about two hours, seized his mobile phone and interrogated him. Delhi government minister Atishi, who reached there as soon as the information about ED reaching the Chief Minister’s residence, said after Kejriwal’s arrest that he will not resign, will remain the Chief Minister and will run the government from jail.
Meanwhile, according to AAP sources, the Chief Minister’s advocate has approached the Supreme Court. Efforts are also being made to hear the matter first thing on Friday morning, because tomorrow is the last working day of the week of the apex court and after Saturday and Sunday there will be Holi holiday.
No minister or leader was allowed inside the residence
During the ED search, no minister or leader of the Delhi government was allowed to reach the Chief Minister’s residence. A large number of police and paramilitary force personnel present there stopped them at some distance. Some party workers gathered and kept raising slogans.
This is the first time that ED reached Kejriwal’s residence. Earlier, in the excise scam case, ED had sent nine summons to Kejriwal one after the other, but he did not appear, terming them illegal. Meanwhile, party leaders had been saying on different forums on social media that ED wants to arrest Kejriwal.
Kejriwal did not get relief from the court on Thursday
Kejriwal had challenged the ninth summons of ED and the provisions of the Money Laundering Act in the lower court. During its hearing on Wednesday, he agreed to appear before the ED and demanded assurance of not being arrested, but after the lower court on this, he did not get relief even from the High Court on Thursday. About three hours later, ED reached Kejriwal’s residence.
Sisodia and Sanjay Singh have been arrested
In this case, in the month of October last, ED had also reached the house of the party’s Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh and after five hours of interrogation, arrested him, who is still in jail. Former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia was arrested by the CBI on February 26 last year in the same excise scam case, he has been in jail since then.
Anticipating Kejriwal’s arrest after ED reached the CM residence, senior party leaders started reaching his Civil Line residence. Delhi Assembly Speaker Ramniwas Goyal, Delhi Government Minister Atishi, the entire cabinet including Saurabh Bhardwaj and prominent AAP leaders including Mayor Shaili Oberoi had reached near Kejriwal’s residence and started expressing fear of Kejriwal’s arrest.
Demand for immediate hearing in Supreme Court: Atishi
He said that we have filed a case in the Supreme Court. Our lawyers are reaching SC. We will demand an immediate hearing from the Supreme Court tonight.”
Ministers Saurabh Bhardwaj and Imran Hussain, Delhi Mayor Dr Shaili Oberoi and AAP MLAs who reached there protested against the ED action. He said that the people of Delhi are with Kejriwal. People will also contest the Lok Sabha elections and will answer the BJP.
Kejriwal will not resign: AAP leader
Assembly Speaker Ramniwas Goyal and other AAP leaders said that Kejriwal will not resign. Even before the ED arrived, security was increased outside the Chief Minister’s residence. After AAP leaders and workers reached there, the number of security forces was increased.
All roads to reach the residence were closed
The roads leading to the Chief Minister’s residence were closed, so that the crowd there did not increase. The police detained many people who were shouting slogans and took them to the police station. Assembly Speaker Ramniwas Goyal, who reached the spot, said that even after the arrest, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will not resign from his post.
