AAP Ministers Atishi, Saurabh Bharadwaj detained as party protests arrest of Kejriwal

New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party leaders, including Delhi Ministers Saurabh Bharadwaj and Atishi, were detained by the Delhi police during the party protest against the arrest of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday.

“We will state before the Supreme Court that Arvind Kejriwal should be allowed to meet his lawyer and family and also allowed to carry out his official work. Kejriwal’s family has been put under house arrest,” Saurabh Bharadwaj said.

The AAP held a protest at the ITO in the national capital against CM Kejriwal’s arrest by ED in the excise policy case.

In a post on X, Atishi said that she has been detained by Delhi Police while peacefully protesting at ITO.

“I have been detained by Delhi Police while peacefully protesting at ITO. First these people arrest the Chief Minister of Delhi in a false case, then the peaceful protesters are also being arrested. If this is not murder of democracy then what is it?” Atishi posted on X.

I have been detained by Delhi Police while peacefully protesting at ITO.

पहले यह लोग दिल्ली के मुख्यमंत्री को झूठे केस में अरेस्ट करते हैं, फिर शांतिपूर्ण प्रदर्शन करने वालों को भी गिरफ़्तार किया जा रहा है। यह लोकतंत्र की हत्या नहीं तो क्या है?

— Atishi (@AtishiAAP) March 22, 2024

A team from the Enforcement Directorate reached Kejriwal’s residence on Thursday to interrogate him regarding the liquor policy case. During a search operation conducted at his residence, Kejriwal was arrested amidst dramatic circumstances, as the AAP convener failed to obtain interim protection from arrest in the liquor policy case from the Delhi High Court.

The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear a plea of the Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal against his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the Delhi Excise Policy case linked to a money laundering case.

A special bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna, MM Sundresh and Bela Trivedi will hear the matter today.

Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi mentioned Kejriwal’s plea before a bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud for an urgent hearing.

“If this process goes on, before the first vote is cast, a lot of senior leaders will be behind the bars. Please take it up,” Singhvi told the bench.

The petition was filed by Kejriwal, challenging the arrest by the ED last night subsequent to his arrest.

On Thursday, the Delhi High Court refused to grant Kejriwal any protection from coercive action in an excise policy-linked money laundering case.

Kejriwal had moved the court in the wake of the ninth issued by the ED, asking him to appear before it on Thursday.

The case pertains to alleged corruption and money laundering in formulating and executing the Delhi government’s excise policy for 2021-22, which was later scrapped. AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh are in judicial custody in the case.