NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate has sought extension of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s judicial custody in the money laundering case linked to the now-scrapped excise policy.
The agency moved the application before the Rouse Avenue Court seeking 14-day judicial custody for Kejriwal when he surrenders on June 2. Kejriwal is out on interim bail till June 1 following an order of the Supreme Court, which has directed him to surrender on June 2 after the last phase of Lok Sabha elections.
The court kept the application pending, likely to be addressed on the same date. Meanwhile, Kavitha’s custody was also extended till June 2.
The ED also told the court that there is sufficient evidence against Kejriwal and co-accused, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K Kavitha, to put them on trial in the case. The central probe agency made the submission in support of its supplementary charge sheets filed against both the politicians.
The federal probe agency had last week filed a supplementary charge sheet in which it named CM Kejriwal and also his Aam Aadmi Party as accused.
It was the eighth charge sheet filed by the probe agency in this case in which it has arrested 18 people so far. Before that, a similar complaint was filed by the agency against K Kavitha and four others.
The agency had arrested 55-year-old Kejriwal, also the national convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party, from his official residence here on March 21.
The CM has been called the “kingpin and key conspirator” of the Delhi excise “scam” by the ED. It is alleged he acted in collusion with ministers of Delhi government, AAP leaders and other persons.
The case pertains to alleged corruption and money laundering in formulating and executing the Delhi government’s excise policy for 2021-22, which was later scrapped.