An Indian court on Thursday extended the detention of an opposition leader for another four days after his arrest sparked protests last week as the country prepares for general elections starting next month.
Arvind Kejriwal, New Delhi’s top lawmaker and one of the country’s most influential politicians over the past decade, was arrested by the Union Enforcement Directorate on March 21. The agency, controlled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, accused Kejriwal’s party and cabinet of allowing the acceptance. About two years ago, he accepted a bribe of 1 billion rupees ($12 million) from a liquor contractor.
The Aam Aadmi Party denied the accusations and said Kejriwal would remain chief minister while the case was fought in court.
In court on Thursday, Kejriwal called his arrest a “political conspiracy”. His party is part of a broader opposition coalition called India, which is the main challenger to Prime Minister Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in the upcoming elections.
Hundreds of Kejriwal’s supporters have been protesting since he was arrested on Friday by the Enforcement Directorate, a federal agency that investigates economic crimes.
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The agency accused Kejriwal of being the “key player and principal co-conspirator” in the liquor bribery case. Kejriwal refuted the allegations and accused the directorate of “manipulating the investigating agency with political motives”.
Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal will appear in court on Thursday, March 28, 2024, after a controversial decision to extend his detention for another four days. (AP Photo/Dinesh Joshi)
Mr Kejriwal’s case is dominating news in India ahead of general elections starting on April 19. India’s opposition parties say the government is abusing its power to harass and undermine political opponents, pointing to a spate of raids, arrests and corruption investigations against key figures. opposition figures. Meanwhile, some investigations into former opposition leaders who later defected to the Bharatiya Janata Party were dropped.
The BJP denies targeting opposition groups and says its law enforcement agencies act independently.
Kejriwal’s arrest is the latest setback for the EU and comes after the country’s main opposition Congress party accused the government last week of paralyzing its bank accounts by freezing them over a tax dispute. Opposition parties condemned the move as undemocratic and accused Prime Minister Modi’s party of exploiting it to weaken government institutions.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said this week that Washington is closely monitoring Mr. Kejriwal’s case.
“I am also aware of the National Congress Party’s claim that tax authorities have frozen some bank accounts in a way that will make it difficult for them to campaign effectively in future elections,” Miller said. It added that it encourages transparent legal regulations. Run the process for each of these issues.
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Indian officials protested these comments on Wednesday and summoned senior officials at the U.S. embassy in New Delhi. A spokesperson for India’s foreign ministry said Thursday that the State Department’s comments were unwarranted.
Randhir Jaiswal told reporters: “In India, the legal process is driven only by the rule of law.” It takes a lot of like-minded people, especially fellow democracies, to understand this fact. There shouldn’t be any difficulties.”
New Delhi also summoned a senior German embassy official over the weekend after a foreign ministry spokesperson said it was following Kejriwal’s case and said the opposition leader had the right to a free and fair trial.
