Arvind Kejriwal, K Kavitha to remain in jail for another 14 days, next hearing on May 7

Excise scam. Photo courtesy: Facebook/Arvind Kejriwal

#ArvindKejriwal, #KKavithaa, #DelhiLiquorPolicy, #EnforcementDirectorate, #SupremeCourt, #AAP, #BRS, #DelhiHighCourt

New Delhi/IBNS-CMEDIA: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Telangana lawmaker K Kavitha, arrested last month in the alleged liquor policy scam, have been sent to extended judicial custody for 14 days. 

The Aam Aadmi Party supremo and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi leader, both lodged in Delhi’s Tihar Jail, will be produced in court next on May 7.

The Delhi Chief Minister has a petition pending in the Supreme Court, in which he has challenged his arrest on March 21 by the Enforcement Directorate on money laundering charges.

Earlier in the day, Kejriwal was administered insulin in Tihar jail as his blood sugar level increased to 320, media reports said.

This comes after the AAP accused the Tihar Jail administration of not providing insulin to him even after several requests.

The jail administration refused to accept the accusation and stated the matter of insulin and its necessity were never raised during a virtual conference with specialists from AIIMS.

Rejecting the claim, Kejriwal wrote to the jail administration stating he had been raising the issue for 10 days.

On April 15, the court heard the matter and denied Kejriwal immediate relief pending a reply from the federal agency.

The court will hear the plea on April 29, three days after the election’s second phase.

Earlier the Delhi High Court rejected the same plea, noting the ED had submitted enough material to support its claim and that Kejriwal was allegedly involved in forming the now-scrapped policy and demanding bribes of Rs. 100 crore used to fund the AAP’s Punjab and Goa election campaigns.

The AAP and Kejriwal have denied all charges, and have counter-accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of “political vendetta” against a rival before the election.

The AAP and the opposition have repeatedly claimed federal agencies – like the Enforcement Directorate – target opposition leaders on instructions from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. The Centre has denied this claim.