Breaking: Delhi Court Extends CM Arvind Kejriwal's Judicial Custody In Liquor Policy Case Till April 23

A Delhi Court on Monday extended the judicial custody of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal till April 23 in the money laundering case connected to the now scrapped liquor policy. He was arrested on the night of March 21.

Kejriwal was produced virtually before Special judge Kaveri Baweja of the Rouse Avenue Courts on the expiry of his judicial custody. The Court said it is extending custody till April 23 when judicial custody of co-accused (BRS leader K Kavitha) is also ending.

In the meantime, the AAP leader has challenged his arrest and remand before the Supreme Court, which today issued notice to ED.

On March 22, the trial court remanded him to six days of ED custody, which was extended by further four days. He was remanded to judicial custody on April 01.

On April 10, the Delhi High Court dismissed Kejriwal's plea challenging his arrest, observing that ED was able to place enough material, statements of approvers and AAP's own candidate stating that Kejriwal was given money for Goa elections.

The Delhi Chief Minister has challenged the said order of the Delhi High Court bench of Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma before the Top Court.

Kejriwal had skipped nine summons issued to him by ED. AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh are also accused in the case. While Sisodia continues to remain in jail, Singh was recently granted bail by the Supreme Court pursuant to a concession given by the ED.

Earlier, ED had filed two criminal complaints against Kejriwal in city's Rouse Avenue Courts alleging non-compliance of the summons by him. Kejriwal has skipped the summons, claiming that they are illegal.

ED has alleged that Arvind Kejriwal is the "kingpin" of Delhi excise scam and is directly involved in the use of proceeds of crime accounting to over Rs. 100 crores.

It is ED's case that the excise policy was implemented as part of a conspiracy to give wholesale business profit of 12 percent to certain private companies, although such a stipulation was not mentioned in the minutes of meetings of Group of Ministers (GoM).

The Central agency has also claimed that there was a conspiracy that was coordinated by Vijay Nair and other individuals along with South Group to give extraordinary profit margins to wholesalers.

Nair was acting on behalf of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia, according to the agency.