NEW DELHI: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was brought to Tihar Jail here on Monday after a city court sent him to judicial custody until April 15, officials said. Kejriwal was arrested on March 21 by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with an excise policy-linked money laundering case.
Earlier in the day, Kejriwal was produced in the court of Special Judge Kaveri Baweja after his Enforcement Directorate custody came to an end. The ED had sought 15-day judicial custody of Kejriwal, saying he was "totally uncooperative."
"He was brought to Tihar jail and will be lodged in Jail Number 2. He was taken for a medical examination. He will be kept in a separate cell," a jail official said.
AAP leader Sanjay Singh, who was arrested in October last year in the same case, was earlier lodged in jail number 2 but was shifted to jail number 5 recently.
Kejriwal's former deputy, Manish Sisodia, who is in jail in connection with the same case, will remain in Jail No 1, former Health Minister Satyendar Jain is in Jail No 7, and BRS leader K Kavitha has been lodged in Jail No 6 of the women's jail.
Meanwhile, the court directed Tihar Jail authorities to allow Kejriwal to carry prescribed medicine and books. The court also asked authorities to provide one table and chair, a religious locket and a special diet as prescribed by the doctors, as per the jail manual.
Kejriwal, through his lawyers, moved an application and sought permission to carry several books, including Bagwad Geeta, Ramayana and a book titled "How Prime Ministers Decide", authored by Neerja Chaudhary.
'People will answer to this dictatorship'
Meanwhile, Arvind Kejriwal's wife Sunita, who also attended the court proceedings, slammed the Centre, stating that the "people of the country will answer to this dictatorship."
"If the investigation was over, then why has he been sent to jail? The people of the country will answer to this dictatorship," she said.
The Enforcement Directorate, while seeking direction to send Kejriwal to judicial custody, said the arrestee has even given false and contrary evidence vis-a-vis other members of the AAP. When he was confronted with the statements given by his party leaders, he called them confused.
Arvind Kejriwal first says that ND Gupta is an active member of the party, is a member of the PAC (Political Affairs Committee) and knows the party's functioning but when confronted with the statement of ND Gupta, wherein he reveals that the National Convenor takes such decisions, Arvind Kejriwal calls the National Treasurer confused.
On being asked about the extent of interaction and reporting of Vijay Nair to the arrestee, Kejriwal stated that Vijay Nair didn't report to him but to Aatishi Marlena and Saurav Bharadwaj and his interaction with Vijay Nair was limited, said ED.
Having noted the submissions, Special Judge Kaveri Baweja on Monday decided to send Kejriwal to judicial custody until April 15.
Earlier, the agency claimed that Kejriwal was directly involved in the formation of the excise policy.
"Arvind Kejriwal has also been intrinsically involved in the entire conspiracy of the Delhi liquor scam, wherein the policy was drafted and implemented in a manner wherein certain private persons were favoured and benefitted in a quid pro quo of receiving kickbacks," the central agency said in its remand.
It is the first time in independent India that a serving Chief Minister has been arrested. The move came after Kejriwal skipped multiple summonses by the investigation agency, nine in total, calling them "illegal."
The case pertains to alleged irregularities and money laundering in framing and implementing the Delhi Excise Policy 2022, which was later scrapped.
(With inputs from PTI and ANI)
