US on Kejriwal arrest: A ‘fair, transparent’ process needed

NT Bureau, Agencies

New Delhi: The US has called for a “fair” and “ transparent” legal process to follow the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Comments by the US Department of State come days after Germany weighed in on the issue, eliciting a sharp reaction from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

According to Reuters, a spokesperson for the US Department of State told the publication in an email response Monday, “We encourage a fair, transparent, and timely legal process for Chief Minister Kejriwal.”

Without responding to a question on India’s protest against the German foreign ministry last week calling for an impartial trial for the opposition leader, the state department spokesperson merely directed questions to the German foreign ministry for comments.

Last Friday, Sebastian Fischer, a spokesperson for the German federal foreign ministry, during a government press conference said, “We assume and expect that the standards relating to independence of judiciary and basic democratic principles will also be applied in this case.”

New Delhi summoned the deputy chief of mission of the German embassy in India Georg Enzweiler Saturday and “conveyed” strong protest against Fischer’s comments.

“We see such remarks as interfering in our judicial process and undermining the independence of our judiciary. India is a vibrant and robust democracy with rule of law. As in all legal cases in the country, and elsewhere in the democratic world, law will take its own course in the instant matter. Biassed assumptions made on this account are most unwarranted,” said the MEA in its statement.

Kejriwal was arrested last Thursday by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a case regarding the now-withdrawn excise policy in New Delhi.

The ED alleged that the Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) received Rs 100 crore in kickbacks, which was used to fund its campaigns in the states of Gujarat and Punjab.

US and Germany are among India’s largest trading partners. Trade between India and US stood at $97.33 billion between April 2023 and January 2024.

AAP workers hit streets over Kejriwal's arrest; Delhi HC to hear CM's plea today

The AAP took to the streets on Tuesday over the arrest of Arvind Kejriwal with its leaders and workers trying to march towards the prime minister's residence before being stopped while the BJP held counter protests demanding the Delhi chief minister's resignation.

The Delhi High Court will on Wednesday hear a petition by Kejriwal challenging his arrest by the ED in a money-laundering case linked to the alleged excise policy scam.

During the day, Kejriwal issued a new order from ED custody to Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj to address shortage of medicines and diagnostic tests at mohalla clinics and hospitals.

This is the second direction issued by the CM. Sources in the ED said the agency would probe whether these directions from the CM were in line with the special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court's order issued to the ED.