After surrender, Delhi court sends Arvind Kejriwal to judicial custody till June 5

Delhi’s Rouse Avenue court on Sunday remanded Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal to judicial custody till June 5, in connection with the money laundering probe linked to the liquor policy case.

The court’s move came shortly after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief surrendered before the Tihar Jail authorities after his 21-day interim bail ended.

After Kejriwal surrendered, he was produced before magistrate Sanjeev Aggarwal through a virtual conference.

On May 20, when Arvind Kejriwal was out on interim bail, the Enforcement Directorate had moved an application seeking extension of his judicial custody for fourteen days.

Arvind Kejriwal’s counsels, Rishikesh Kumar and Vivek Jain opposed the application saying his arrest in the case has been challenged before the Supreme Court.

Last month, the Supreme Court’s office refused to admit Kejriwal’s plea seeking an extension of interim bail, saying he had the liberty to approach the lower court.

The AAP chief later moved the Delhi court seeking extension of his interim bail. He also applied for regular bail.

The Enforcement Directorate on Saturday opposed Kejriwal’s plea on interim bail, saying the lower court can’t modify the Supreme Court’s direction to surrender on June 2. The agency also claimed that Kejriwal would have to surrender first before applying for interim bail.

The AAP chief earlier this week claimed he needed more time outside jail to undergo a battery of tests to rule out the possibility of a serious disease. He claimed that he lost six kilograms of weight since he was jailed on March 21, which could be the symptom of a serious disease.

The agency claimed before the court that his weight had increased by 1 kg. It also accused him of misleading the court. It said Kejriwal could have undergone the tests when he was out on interim bail.

After hearing the agency’s arguments, the Rouse Avenue court said it would announcement its judgment on June 5.