NEW DELHI: A Delhi court, which dismissed an application moved by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, arrested in a money laundering case, has revealed that the AAP chief allegedly used legal consultations allowed by the court to issue certain administrative directions from jail to Minister Atishi through his lawyers. The court maintained that relevant rules are equally applicable to him and other inmates. Importantly, the Directorate Of Enforcement also said that legal interviews were being misused by Kejriwal for purposes other than consultation.
Catch all live updates related to Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest and the legal battle in the excise policy case:
-Special Secretary Vigilance YVVJ Rajshekhar passes the order citing a case of 2007 pending against him. “The Competent Authority hereby terminates the engagement of Bibhav Kumar, in terms of the provisions of Rule 5 of the Central Civil Services (Temporary Service) Rules, 1965, with immediate effect,” the order read.
Special Secretary Vigilance YVVJ Rajshekhar passes the order citing a case of 2007 pending against him.
“The Competent Authority hereby terminates the engagement of Bibhav Kumar, in terms of the provisions of Rule 5 of the Central Civil Services (Temporary Service) Rules, 1965,… pic.twitter.com/M4qjNzPxw8
— ANI (@ANI) April 11, 2024
-The Directorate of Vigilance (DoV) has terminated the services of Bibhav Kumar – private secretary to Delhi’s CM Kejriwal, citing the illegality of his appointment. Before his arrest, Kumar was questioned extensively by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the contentious Delhi excise policy case.
-Special judge for CBI and ED cases Kaveri Baweja, dismissing Kejriwal’s application for five meetings with his lawyers every week, said he failed to satisfy the court that he had been using the two permitted legal meetings per week solely for the purpose of discussing the pending litigations with his counsel.
-“The status report/note filed by the ED indicates that the applicant had dictated certain directions for being passed on to the Water Minister, to one of his lawyers (whose name he refused to disclose to the ED), during the course of a legal meeting. It thus appears that the applicant is not even utilizing the permitted two legal interviews per week with his counsels solely for discussing his pending litigations and has rather used the allotted time for purposes other than legal interviews in the aforesaid manner,” the judge said.
-The judge cited a Delhi High Court judgment, which said every citizen of India is entitled to the protection of the law, which will also equally apply to him.
-The judge dismissed Kejriwal’s submission that about 35 cases were pending against him across the country for which he needed more time with his lawyer for consultation, saying his application was bereft of necessary details of cases, including their number, the nature and stage of proceedings.
-The ED opposed Kejriwal’s application, saying special privileges cannot be extended to him merely because he wants to run the government from inside the jail.