Union minister Hardeep Puri slams Arvind Kejriwal on staying as CM despite HC order: ‘Shamelessness’

Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Tuesday lashed out at Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal after the Delhi high court rejected the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convenor’s plea against his arrest.

“It is high time Arvind Kejriwal taking moral responsibility, resigns as the Delhi chief minister,” PTI quoted Puri as saying.

“Kejriwal was issued nine summons by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) between November 2023 and March 2024. He kept “evading” these notices over the past six months under some “pretext” or the other,” Puri claimed.

Stating that law has caught up with Kejriwal, Puri said that the AAP leader continuing as CM behind bars is an “exercise in shamelessness”, adding he should put in his papers and let someone else run the Delhi government.

Earlier in the day, the high court while rejecting Kejriwal’s plea had said that the ED is in possession of material evidence that led to his arrest.

“ED was able to trace enough material in the form of the statement of approver, Hawala dealer, AAP [Aam Aadmi Party] candidate in the Goa election…arrest of Kejriwal and his remand cannot be termed as illegal,” the court said.

The Aam Aadmi Party has said it will move the Supreme Court to challenge the high court order.

“We respect the institution of the high court but we respectfully submit that we do not agree with its order and will move the Supreme Court against it. The so-called excise policy scam is the biggest political conspiracy to finish off the party and Kejriwal,” Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj had said at a briefing after the high court’s decision.

Kejriwal was arrested by the ED on March 21, hours after the high court refused to grant him protection from coercive action by the federal anti-money laundering agency.

He was sent to judicial custody on April 1 after he was produced in the trial court on the expiry of his ED custody. He is currently lodged in Tihar jail.