On Saturday, a court in Delhi ordered Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to be held in Judicial Custody until July 12 in connection with a CBI case concerning an excise policy matter.
The agency argued that his detention was necessary "in the interest of the investigation and justice." Special Judge Sunena Sharma reserved the decision on the plea following Kejriwal's appearance in court after the conclusion of his three-day police custody.
In its remand application, the CBI stated that during the custodial interrogation, Arvind Kejriwal did not cooperate with the investigation. Instead, he allegedly provided evasive answers that contradicted the evidence on record. The agency highlighted that when confronted with the evidence, Kejriwal did not provide a satisfactory and truthful explanation regarding the increase in the profit margin for wholesalers from 5% to 12% under the new excise policy of Delhi for 2021-22, which allegedly lacked any study or justification.
Subsequently, on March 21, he was also arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money-laundering case associated with the policy, which has since been revoked. He was granted bail by a trial court, although this decision was later stayed by the Delhi High Court.