On Wednesday, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders claimed the information of the raid on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence and is likely to get arrested on Thursday. The claim surfaced on Kejriwal skipping the summons and refusing to appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on the previous summons on November 2 and December 21.
The sources stated that the ED’s lawyer is examining Kejriwal’s response and will send a fresh summon to him. For this, the security around Kejriwal’s house was tightened on Thursday morning.
Ministers’ claim on Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest
After the claim by two party leaders, Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj on social media about the raid and arrest of Kejriwal, several AAP leaders on Wednesday said Mr Kejriwal’s house would be raided by the ED this morning.
Regarding the claims, the senior party leader and Delhi Minister Atishi took it to X and posted, “ED is going to raid @ArvindKejriwal’s residence tomorrow morning. Arrest likely”. Two minutes later, Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj posted, “ED will be reaching Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s house tomorrow morning and likely to arrest him”, on X. Likewise, several posts were seen on the social media handles of senior party leaders Sandeep Pathak and Jasmine Shah.
When and how can the CM be arrested?
According to the sources, Kejriwal’s arrest is likely on Thursday. But these factual updates are based on verifiable sources. However, certain possibilities might lead to the early arrest of Kejriwal, as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is gathering evidence regarding the Delhi Excise Policy Case linked to Kejriwal. Also, Kejriwal’s refusal to skip the summons of the ED several times.
Ultimately, if the agency could find sufficient evidence, then, they can apply for a warrant from the court authorizing Kejriwal’s arrest. This warrant grants legal authority to detain him. Moreover, the Chief Ministers have legal immunity from arrest in civil matters. But in criminal cases, this immunity doesn’t work including financial wrongdoings, which increases a high chance of arrest.
Possible Consequences
If Kejriwal cooperates with the investigation and provides satisfactory answers to the inquiries, then the arrest might be reduced. But, if he continues to skip summons or hinder the investigation of ED, a chargesheet might be filed against him, increasing the possibility of arrest.
However, the court’s decision and legal process can be complex and might take a long time. So, predicting an exact timeline for this is not possible.
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