AAP Ministers Atishi, Saurabh Bharadwaj detained as party protests arrest of Kejriwal

Aam Aadmi Party leaders, including Delhi Ministers Saurabh Bharadwaj and Atishi, were detained by Delhi police during a party protest against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest on Friday.

“We will state before the Supreme Court that Arvind Kejriwal should be allowed to meet his lawyer and family and also allowed to carry out his official work. Kejriwal’s family has been put under house arrest,” said Saurabh Bharadwaj.

The AAP held a protest at the ITO in the national capital against CM Kejriwal’s arrest by the ED in the excise policy case.

Atishi, in a post on X, said she has been detained by Delhi Police while peacefully protesting at ITO.

“I have been detained by Delhi Police while peacefully protesting at ITO. First, these people arrest the Chief Minister of Delhi in a false case, then the peaceful protesters are also being arrested. If this is not the murder of democracy then what is it?” Atishi posted on X.

The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear a plea of Delhi Chief Minister and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal against his arrest by the ED in connection with the Delhi Excise Policy case linked to a money laundering case.

A special bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna, MM Sundresh, and Bela Trivedi will hear the matter today.

Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi mentioned Kejriwal’s plea before a bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud for an urgent hearing.

“If this process goes on, before the first vote is cast, a lot of senior leaders will be behind bars. Please take it up,” Singhvi told the bench.

The petition was filed by Kejriwal, challenging the arrest by the ED last night subsequent to his arrest.

On Thursday, the Delhi High Court refused to grant Kejriwal any protection from coercive action in an excise policy-linked money laundering case.

Kejriwal had moved the court in the wake of the ninth issued by the ED, asking him to appear before it on Thursday.

The case pertains to alleged corruption and money laundering in formulating and executing the Delhi government’s excise policy for 2021-22, which was later scrapped. AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh are in judicial custody in the case.