Arvind Kejriwal, the current Chief Minister of Delhi, was detained by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday in relation to a liquor investigation, marking him as the first incumbent Chief Minister to be detained. This event occurred within two months of the detention of Hemant Soren of Jharkhand, another notable opposition leader. Soren had resigned from his Chief Ministerial position just before his detention, paving the way for Champai Soren to assume governmental leadership.
However, the AAP leadership has stated that Kejriwal will continue to serve as Chief Minister and govern the national capital from jail. Kejriwal's detention follows the detention of BRS leader K Kavitha in Hyderabad last week in connection with the same liquor probe.
The detention of Kavitha had hinted at Kejriwal being the next target of the ED, and a high court order on Thursday facilitated this as the court refused to grant Kejriwal any protection from the agency's coercive actions. Following the high court's decision, ED officials arrived at Kejriwal's Civil Lines residence with a search warrant and took him into custody after a few hours.
Reason for Arvind Kejriwal's Detention
Kejriwal had been summoned by the ED to participate in the investigation since last year, but he had avoided all summons citing various commitments. Kejriwal had approached the court and contested the ED summons as unconstitutional. However, the court dealt a significant blow to Kejriwal on Thursday by stating that it had no intention of intervening in the case at this stage. The case is related to a liquor policy that was abolished following corruption allegations. Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh had been detained earlier in connection with the same case.
What Lies Ahead for Kejriwal?
Delhi minister and AAP leader Atishi has stated that the party has already approached the Supreme Court to overturn Kejriwal's detention. "We have requested an immediate hearing by the Supreme Court tonight itself," Atishi announced on X. Meanwhile, the AAP leadership has declared that Kejriwal will continue to serve as Chief Minister, a decision reached after a survey of 'Main Bhi Kejriwal' conducted across 23.8 lakh households in Delhi.
Arvind Kejriwal, aged 55, first assumed the role of Delhi's Chief Minister in 2013, propelled by the anti-corruption movement that he led alongside Anna Hazare. Kejriwal became the second youngest Chief Minister of Delhi, but resigned a year later after failing to introduce the Jan Lokpal Bill in the Delhi Assembly. In 2015, he was re-elected as Chief Minister after his Aam Aadmi Party won the election with a majority. In 2020, AAP was re-elected with a majority.
Kejriwal completed his mechanical engineering degree at IIT-Kharagpur and then joined the Indian Revenue Services as an assistant commissioner of income tax in 1995 after passing the civil services examination. He resigned from his position as joint commissioner of income tax in 2006.
