“Blatant interference”: India lodges strong protest with Germany over statement on Kejriwal arrest

George Enzweiler, the Deputy Head of Mission of the German Embassy, visited officials at the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Saturday. Ministry sources revealed that the MEA expressed strong objection to the German Foreign Office’s apparent interference in India’s internal affairs during the meeting with the German envoy. Enzweiler was later spotted leaving the MEA office in South Block, New Delhi.

The German Foreign Ministry had issued an official statement concerning the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, prompting the MEA’s response. The statement emphasized the importance of upholding democratic principles and the independence of the judiciary in India. It asserted that Kejriwal, like any individual facing accusations, should be entitled to a fair trial with the presumption of innocence.

Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with alleged money laundering related to the Delhi excise policy case. He was remanded to ED custody for seven days by Special CBI judge Kaveri Baweja after being produced in court. The ED accused Kejriwal of being the key conspirator in demanding kickbacks from businessmen and directly involved in formulating the Excise policy.

The arrest sparked criticism from opposition leaders, with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) announcing plans to protest outside the Prime Minister’s residence on March 26. This arrest follows similar actions against other AAP leaders, including Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh, who are in judicial custody in connection with the excise policy case. Kejriwal’s arrest also coincided with the ED’s detention of K Kavitha, a leader of the Bharat Rashta Samithi (BRS) and daughter of former Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, in the same investigation.