Delhi Court Rejects Arvind Kejriwal’s Plea for Increased Legal Meetings in Judicial Custody

In a significant development, a court in Delhi has turned down the request of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for an increase in the number of legal meetings while he is in judicial custody. The rejection came on Wednesday, with Special Judge Kaveri Baweja delivering the verdict.

The decision was made on the grounds that Kejriwal had not been utilizing the allotted time for the intended purpose. The court noted that during one such meeting, he had issued directives to a cabinet minister, which raised concerns.

The Enforcement Directorate, representing the prosecution, opposed the plea, arguing that being a public figure and a chief minister did not grant Kejriwal special privileges to run the government from prison. It further asserted that Kejriwal had been passing orders through his lawyers, as revealed in statements recorded under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The court, concurring with the prosecution’s stance, rejected Kejriwal’s plea for parity with AAP parliamentarian Sanjay Singh, who was allowed legal meetings thrice a week. It noted that the earlier order allowing Singh’s meetings was issued without proper consideration of relevant jail rules or hearing opposing arguments.

Kejriwal’s application lacked specific details of the cases against him, making it challenging for the court to assess the sufficiency of permitted legal meetings. The request for five legal meetings per week was deemed arbitrary and lacking factual basis.

The court emphasized that Kejriwal, like any other inmate, was subject to the law and jail rules. It referred to a Delhi High Court order from March 2024, affirming that elected representatives were not exempt from the law.

Kejriwal has been in judicial custody since April 1. His petition challenging the arrest and seeking release from jail was dismissed by the Delhi High Court on Tuesday, citing prima facie sufficient evidence of money laundering.

The ED alleges that Kejriwal was involved in a conspiracy involving a ₹100-crore bribe over changes in the 2021-22 excise policy. The case was initially taken up by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on the recommendation of Delhi LG V K Saxena in July 2022.

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