Arvind Kejriwal Arrest LIVE Updates | AAP Has Become A 'Kickback To Self' Party': BJP On Raaj Kumar Anand's Resignation

Arvind Kejriwal Arrest LIVE Updates: In a big jolt to the Aam Aadmi Party, its Patel Nagar MLA and Delhi Cabinet minister Raaj Kumar Anand resigned from the primary membership of the party on Wednesday, saying that it is “mired in the quicksand of graft”. Earlier, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal moved the Supreme Court challenging the Delhi High Court verdict upholding his arrest related to a money laundering case connected to an alleged excise scam. Vivek Jain, Kejriwal’s legal representative, told news agency PTI that they have challenged the Delhi HC order in the apex court. The Delhi High Court’s decision to sustain Kejriwal’s arrest dealt a significant setback to the Chief Minister just before the Lok Sabha elections.

The court remarked that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) was left with 'little option' but to proceed with the arrest due to Kejriwal’s consistent absence from summons and his refusal to participate in the probe. Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Wednesday said that Punjab’s Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and AAP’s Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh were scheduled to visit Kejriwal at Tihar Jail, which has now been deferred. The jail authorities have cited security concerns as the reason for the postponement, news agency IANS reported.

“Yesterday, the time for Bhagwant Mann and Sanjay Singh to meet Kejriwal was fixed. Now, Tihar Jail will inform about the new time,” said AAP.  "The administration had received a letter for a meeting with CM Kejriwal," IANS quoted jail sources as saying.

“The Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Tihar will respond today. The reply will address security measures and propose alternative dates for the meeting. Sanjay Singh and CM Bhagwant Mann may then visit CM Kejriwal on the suggested dates, should they choose to,” a source from the prison administration stated.

Kejriwal was taken into custody by the Enforcement Directorate on March 21 over allegations related to the excise scam. Since his arrest, Kejriwal has been under the ED’s authority, followed by his transfer to Tihar Jail.

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7.45 PM: BJP leader and New Delhi Lok Sabha candidate, Bansuri Swaraj said, "Yesterday, Delhi HC said that Arvind Kejriwal's arrest is legal. Today, Raaj Kumar Anand, who has been with Kejriwal ji since 2010, has tried to leave those who are corrupt. When will Arvind Kejriwal's conscience awaken? Today AAP has become a 'kickback to self' party."

6.30 PM: AAP leader and Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj says, "Everyone knows that there was an ED raid at his residence. He was under pressure and got scared. We have no complaints from him...He was given a script and he had no other option but to read it...We have fielded a Dalit candidate from the East Delhi constituency...The reason for Arvind Kejriwal's arrest was to break the party and dissolve Delhi and Punjab's govt..."

6.10 PM: Sanjay Singh said, ''Raaj Kumar Anand was earlier called corrupt by BJP but now he will join the same party.'' 

6.05 PM: AAP's Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh has reacted to Raaj Kumar Anand's resignation. ''We have already said Kejriwal's arrest is aimed at finishing AAP'', said Sanjay Singh.

4.50 PM: "They put Babasaheb’s picture in each press conference, each government office but when it comes to following his ideals…they do not. Not even a single one of our 13 MPs belongs to Dalit or backward communities," Anand said.

4.45 PM: Addressing a press conference, Anand said, “I entered politics when Kejriwal had said that if its politics changes, the country will change. But today, I say with much regret, that politics did not change but political leaders did. The AAP was born out of a movement against corruption, but today this party is mired in the same quicksand of graft.” 

4.35 PM: In a big blow to Kejriwal's AAP, Delhi cabinet minister Raaj Kumar Anand has quit the party. Raaj Kumar Anand accused the party of not giving due respect to the people from Dalit and other backward communities. Anand informed that he has sent his resignation to AAP general secretary organisation Sandeep Pathak.

3.15 PM: The Almora Court in Uttarakhand has ordered the registration of an FIR against Delhi's Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar and Special Secretary of the Vigilance Department, Rajashekar for allegedly conspiring and committing offences under the SC/ST Act. Both Naresh Kumar and Rajashekar have been accused of destroying evidence from an NGO's office, which was crucial for ongoing corruption complaints against these officials related to the NGO. The FIRs against the two senior Delhi govt officers have been filed under sections 392, 447, 120b, 504, and 506, along with provisions of the SC/ST Act. 

2:20 PM: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday organized a demonstration close to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) main office on DDU Marg, calling for the resignation of the incarcerated Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is in Tihar jail due to allegations related to the excise policy. To break up the gathering, the police resorted to using water cannons, which resulted in injuries to Virendra Sachdeva, head of the BJP’s Delhi division. He received medical attention at RML Hospital.

13.42 PM: The Delhi High Court declined to consider a petition filed by former AAP Minister and ex-MLA Sandeep Kumar, requesting the removal of Arvind Kejriwal from his position as Chief Minister. The court noted that this was the third petition with the same demands and expressed its intention to impose a fine of Rs. 50,000 on the petitioner. Additionally, the court urged the petitioner to refrain from ridiculing the legal system, stating that imposing costs is the only effective measure to deter such petitions.

13.29 PM: Police have apprehended Delhi BJP leaders and supporters who were staging a demonstration, calling for the resignation of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

 

#WATCH | Police detain Delhi BJP leaders and workers protesting demanding resignation of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. pic.twitter.com/EPA4ZE2FFD — ANI (@ANI) April 10, 2024

 

12.57 PM: AAP MP Sanjay Singh stated that according to him, the Modi government intends to detain an elected Chief Minister of Delhi. He mentioned that two days prior, Arvind Kejriwal had a meeting with his lawyer where he conveyed a message for elected MLAs to engage with people in their respective areas and address their concerns. Singh expressed to ANI, he said investigation has been initiated against Kejriwal, accompanied by threats of restricting his access to family and legal counsel.

 

#WATCH | AAP MP Sanjay Singh says, "The Modi government wants to keep an elected Chief Minister of Delhi in jail... two days ago Arvind Kejriwal met his lawyer and during that meeting, he gave the message that the elected MLAs should go to their areas and listen to the problems… pic.twitter.com/Fu3eEjqapk — ANI (@ANI) April 10, 2024

 

12.53 PM: There will be a gathering at the residence of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal around 1 PM to discuss plans for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Alongside the CM, his wife Sunita Kejriwal will participate. Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, MPs Sandeep Pathak and Sanjay Singh, ministers Saurabh Bhardwaj and Gopal Rai, as well as party leader Jasmine Shah, are also expected to be in attendance at the meeting organized by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

12.12 PM: Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi, has taken his case to the Supreme Court after a ruling by the Delhi High Court. Saurabh Bharadwaj, a leader of the Aam Aadmi Party and a minister in Delhi, expressed that their approach to news agency ANI. He highlighted that they've followed this pattern from district courts to high courts, and now to the Supreme Court. Bharadwaj conveyed optimism about receiving justice from the Supreme Court. Drawing a parallel to a previous case involving Sanjay Singh, he suggested that just as the Supreme Court provided guidance then, they anticipate the same in their current situation.

11.50 AM: After a Delhi court on Wednesday said no to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's request to have more meetings with his lawyers, bumping it up from two times a week to five. Kejriwal argued that because he's dealing with several police cases in different states, he needs more legal consultations. However, the court rejected his plea. The lawyers representing the authorities argued against it, saying that the Jail Manual only allows one legal meeting a week, maybe two in special cases. Kejriwal is already having two meetings, so asking for more goes against the rules.

11.30 AM: Supreme Court refuses early hearing in Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's petition challenging Delhi High Court's order against his arrest in Delhi Liquor Policy Case. CJI DY Chandrachud says, "I will look into e-mail"