Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was lodged in jail number 2 of the Tihar prison in the national capital, as per sources. He will be kept alone in the isolated lockup of jail number 2 which will be under 24-hour CCTV surveillance. Earlier, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sanjay Singh was lodged in the same jail, however, he was recently shifted to jail number 5.
Earlier in the day, a Delhi court sent Kejriwal to judicial custody till April 15 in the excise policy-linked money laundering case. He was produced in the court of Special Judge Kaveri Baweja after his Enforcement Directorate custody came to an end.
Atishi says will do an explosive expose tomorrow
Hours after Kejriwal was taken to jail, senior AAP leader Atishi stated that she would be doing an "explosive expose at 10 am on Tuesday, April 2. Earlier in the day, Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj's names also figured in connection with the alleged excise policy scam.
Kejriwal can meet these 6 people in jail
Meanwhile, Kejriwal also gave a list of six people whom he can meet during his imprisonment at Tihar. Apart from his family members, the Delhi Chief Minister has given the names of 3 special friends. The names include his wife Sunita, son Pulkit, daughter Harshita. Apart from these, the names of Sandeep Pathak, Vibhav and another friend have been given for meeting or talking. According to the rules, names of a total of 10 people can be given, but currently, Kejriwal has given the names of only 6 people.
ED sought 15-day judicial custody
The ED had sought 15-day judicial custody of Kejriwal, saying he was "totally uncooperative". Speaking to reporters before entering court, the AAP leader said, "Whatever the prime minister is doing(referring to his arrest) is not good for the country".
AAP ministers Atishi, Saurabh Bhardwaj and Kejriwal's wife Sunita Kejriwal were present in court. The federal probe agency had arrested Kejriwal on March 21 in connection with the case. The next day, Special Judge Baweja remanded him in the custody of the ED till March 28. Following this, the court allowed the ED's plea requesting an extension of his custodial interrogation by four days till April 1.
Kejriwal's wife attacks BJP
Meanwhile Kejriwal's wife Sunita Kejriwal on Monday accused the BJP of having only one motive -- to put her husband in jail during the Lok Sabha elections. "He was questioned for 11 days, the questioning is complete. The court has not declared him guilty. Why has he been put in jail?" Sunita Kejriwal told reporters while leaving the Rouse Avenue court. "They (the BJP) have only one objective -- to put him in jail ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. The country's people will give a reply to this dictatorship," she added.
Delhi excise policy case
The case pertains to the alleged corruption and money laundering in formulating and executing the Delhi government's excise policy for 2021-22 which was later scrapped. The case originated from a report presented by Delhi Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar to Lieutenant Governor (LG) Vinai Kumar Saxena in July 2022, highlighting purported procedural deficiencies in the development of the policy. The report said "arbitrary and unilateral decisions" taken by AAP leader Manish Sisodia in his capacity as Excise Minister had resulted in "financial losses to the exchequer" estimated at more than Rs 580 crore.
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