Delhi court extends Arvind Kejriwal's judicial custody till May 20

New Delhi: In a money laundering case related to the Delhi liquor policy case, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's judicial custody was extended till May 20 by a Delhi court on Tuesday, IANS reported.

The case is being probed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

Also, the Aam Aadmi Party leader's plea challenging his arrest by ED was being heard by the Supreme Court on the day. The top court bench of two judges decided to pronounce its verdict on his interim bail plea on May 9 or in the next week, when it will hear his plea again.

Meanwhile, Special Judge Kaveri Baweja of the Rouse Avenue Court extended his judicial custody on the expiry of his previously granted 14-day judicial custody.

Earlier, while seeking Mr Kejriwal's judicial custody, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) SV Raju, for ED, had stated that it reserves the right to request the AAP supremo's further custody in the future.

"... in view the ruling of the Hon'ble Apex Court in case V Senthil Balaji Vs. State....., the ED reserves its right to seek further custody remand of the accused," the court had noted.

Mr Raju had submitted that the accused had been evasive and had concealed crucial information during custodial interrogation.

He presented two main grounds for seeking judicial custody -- first that the accused is highly influential and has the potential to tamper with evidence or influence witnesses if released, which could hinder ongoing investigations, and second, the complexity of economic crimes, requiring thorough investigation to uncover additional proceeds of crime and identify other individuals involved.

The ED arrested Arvind Kejriwal on March 21 after questioning him for over two hours at his official residence in Delhi.

The ED has termed Mr Kejriwal the "kingpin and the key conspirator" of the alleged liquor scam in collusion with other ministers of the Delhi government, AAP leaders, and other persons.