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ED says Delhi CM not cooperating, Kejriwal's rare address: What happened in court
Arvind Kejriwal directly argued in the court which the ED counsel opposed.
The Delhi Rouse Avenue court on Thursday witnessed Arvind Kejriwal arguing his case in front of the court in a rare move while his counsels were there to represent him. As his six-day ED custody came to an end, the Enforcement Directorate sought a seven-day extension of his custody arguing that Arvind Kejriwal had been deliberately non-cooperative, his counsels did not share the income tax details. Kejriwal will have to be confronted with the other accused in the Delhi liquor case, the ED said.
After the ED's counsel presented the argument for an extension of Kejriwal's ED custody, the Delhi chief minister started his address in the court which the ED opposed as he was supposed to be represented by his counsels.
Arvind Kejriwal argues for himself in court: LIVE updates
What Kejriwal said
Arvind Kejriwal said the case in connection with which he has been arrested is a two-year-old case and so far there is no evidence against him. There are no charges against him yet, Kejriwal said.
Kejriwal said his name has come in only four statements. "First is C Arvind who is the PA of Manish Sisodia. He said a document was given by him in my presence. A lot of people come to meet me and they talk with each other. Is this a sufficient reason to arrest me? Second is Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy who came to meet me to establish his family trust. His son was released after they changed their statement about me. Sarath Reddy said that he met me with Vijay Nair. Where is the money?" Kejriwal said.
‘Smoke screen to crush AAP’: Arvind Kejriwal addresses Delhi court, slams ED's 31,000-page report
What ED said
Enforcement Directorate, after Kejriwal's submission, said they have evidence against Kejriwal that theDelhi chief minister demanded ₹100 crore. "He wants to play to the gallery by making the same submissions," ED's counsel S Raju said. ED said apart from Kejriwal's personal involvement in the scam being the AAP convener, the money -- the proceeds of the scam -- was used in the AAP Goa campaign. A chief minister is not above law, the ED said.
Before Kejriwal's submission, the ED argued that digital data extracted from Kejriwal's possession is to be examined. Raju said Kejriwal's statements were recorded but he gave evasive replies. The ED also mentioned that some senior excise officials from Punjave have been summoned by the ED.
