No relief for Kejriwal, judicial custody extended till May 20; Kejriwal cannot perform official duties as CM even if he gets released on interim bail, says SC

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Tuesday extended Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's judicial custody till May 20, in a money laundering case related to the alleged excise policy scam being probed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). It was Special Judge Kaveri Baweja of the Rouse Avenue Court who extended his judicial custody on the expiry of his previously granted 14-day judicial custody.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court said that Kejriwal will not be allowed to perform the official duties as Delhi Chief Minister even if he is released on interim bail. The apex court did not grant Kejriwal bail on the bail petition he submitted in court. The two-judge bench of the apex court said that it will pronounce its verdict on his interim bail plea on May 9.

Earlier, while seeking Kejriwal's judicial custody, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) S. V. Raju, for ED, had stated that it reserves the right to request the AAP supremo's further custody in the future. 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 CM Kejriwal on March 21 after questioning him for over two hours at his official residence in Delhi.