‘Kejriwal is not cooperating in the investigation’… CBI custody ends, court sends him/her to 14 days judicial custody

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party convenor Arvind Kejriwal has been sent to 14-day judicial custody. On completion of Kejriwal’s three-day remand, the CBI presented him/her in Rouse Avenue Court on Saturday. The CBI had arrested him/her on Wednesday in the Delhi liquor policy case. The investigating agency had sought a five-day remand to confront him/her with evidence, but got a three-day remand. The court has directed to present Kejriwal in court on July 12.

What arguments took place in the court today?

• In the court, advocate Vikram Choudhary read out the application filed on behalf of Kejriwal, seeking direction to the CBI to place on record all the material submitted, including the case diary.
• The court said you can leave these aspects for the court to consider.
• “In the bail plea of ​​my co-accused in the Supreme Court, they said they will complete the investigation by July 3,” Choudhary said.
• The court said, whatever statement he/she has given regarding completing the investigation by the specified date, even if those commitments are not followed, this will give you a basis to get bail. You cannot say that JC cannot be given.
• “I am praying that please tell the IO to abide by whatever they are saying. So that tomorrow I can argue this issue on any forum… I want to say something specifically. I leave the whole matter to the court. Nobody can ask for a copy of the case diary. I am here to assist your Lordship impartially. Your Lordship can specifically ask them where is that material,” Choudhary said.
• he/she further said, I am saying that if they are unable to satisfy your conscience on the first three counts, then the remand proceedings today are illegal. If they are unable to satisfy your Lordship…
• The court said, your prayer section is not making it clear. The ground which you have not mentioned.
• “Even if the judge has allowed PC or JC, in any situation if there is a demand for extension of judicial custody, it is not as if the judge will extend it if the custody is not on solid grounds…My main emphasis is that the court can take all this on record,” Choudhary said.
• CBI counsel DP Singh presented arguments and opposed Chaudhary’s demand.
• The court told the CBI counsel, I would like the IO to mark the case diary, the relevant pages.
• Kejriwal’s lawyer said, the accused’s wife and family are here, if you allow, the accused should be allowed to meet them till the order is passed. The court said that there is permission inside the court.
• The court reserved the order.

What did CBI say in the court?

• Arvind Kejriwal is not cooperating in the investigation. During the remand period, he/she is deliberately avoiding giving direct answers to questions. his/her statements do not match the evidence.
• Kejriwal has a lot of political influence. he/she is the Chief Minister of Delhi. he/she can influence witnesses. he/she can tamper with evidence. he/she can influence the potential witnesses whose statements are yet to be recorded. he/she can tamper with the evidence that is yet to be collected. In this way, he/she can influence the investigation.
• When Arvind Kejriwal was confronted with the evidence during the interrogation, he/she did not give any satisfactory answer to the questions asked in this regard.
• Kejriwal did not give any explanation as to why there was a need to increase the wholesale profit margin from 5 to 12 percent in the new excise policy. Why was such a decision taken without any study/basis in this regard?
• When the second wave of Covid was at its peak, what was the hurry that the cabinet approval for the revised excise policy was obtained through circulation within a day. This happened when the people of the South Lobby were present in Delhi itself and were meeting with Vijay Nair.
• When Kejriwal was asked about Vijay Nair’s meeting with liquor businessmen and his/her demand for bribe in exchange for making desired changes in the excise policy, he/she did not give any direct answer to this either.
• Kejriwal also did not give any satisfactory answer regarding his/her meeting with Manguta Reddy, Arjun Pandey and Mootha Gautam.
• he/she also did not give a direct answer to the question asked about the use of Rs 44.54 crore by AAP during the election campaign in Goa.
• The investigation is still going on, the investigation is at a crucial stage. Statements of some important witnesses are yet to be recorded. Some important digital evidence is yet to be collected.
• Kejriwal has a lot of political influence. he/she can influence witnesses and tamper with evidence, so he/she should be sent to judicial custody.

These allegations were made in CBI
The CBI says that Kejriwal needed to be in custody so that he/she could be shown documents related to the case. The investigating agency alleged that Kejriwal implicated former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, and blamed him/her for the privatization of the liquor policy. Kejriwal, however, denied these claims in court, saying that both he/she and Sisodia are innocent. Kejriwal said, ‘I am innocent, and other AAP leaders, including Manish Sisodia, are also innocent.’