“Arvind Kejriwal Sentenced to 14 Days in Tihar Jail, Assigned to Prison Number 2”

In Short

• Arvind Kejriwal sent to 14-day judicial custody in Delhi liquor policy case
• He will be kept in Prison number 2 of Tihar Jail, stay alone in barrack
• He was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on March 21

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has been sentenced to 14 days of judicial custody in connection with the liquor policy-related money laundering case. Following the conclusion of his custody with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on April 1, Kejriwal was taken to Tihar jail, where he will be housed in Prison Number 2.

Kejriwal will be housed in a separate barrack and will be subjected to round-the-clock CCTV surveillance. Strict security measures have been implemented within the Tihar jail premises.

The verdict was delivered by the Rouse Avenue Court in Delhi after considering the end of Kejriwal’s custody with the ED. During the court proceedings, Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, representing the ED, highlighted Kejriwal’s alleged non-cooperative behavior and evasive responses during his custody. Raju also accused Kejriwal of misleading the investigation into the liquor case.

Meanwhile, Kejriwal’s legal team has requested permission for him to carry three books – Bhagavad Gita, Ramayan, and How Prime Ministers Decide by journalist Neerja Chaudhary – during his incarceration.

Furthermore, the Delhi High Court has directed the ED to submit a status report to the trial court regarding a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking to restrain Kejriwal from issuing orders or directives while in custody. The High Court has instructed the federal agency to treat the PIL as its own representation.

Kejriwal’s arrest by the ED on March 21 sparked protests, including the ‘Loktantra Bachao’ rally held at Ramlila Maidan by the Opposition INDIA bloc.

The rally, attended by prominent leaders such as Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav, Mehbooba Mufti, Uddhav Thackeray, Sanjay Raut, and Sharad Pawar, aimed to protest against Kejriwal’s arrest.

Sunita Kejriwal and Kalpana Soren, wives of Arvind Kejriwal and former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren respectively, also addressed the gathering.