India Observers

 In a high-stakes legal development, the Supreme Court of India delivered its verdict today on the plea filed by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the ongoing alleged excise policy scam. The landmark judgment, rendered by a bench led by Justice Sanjiv Khanna, grants interim bail to Kejriwal but keeps him in custody due to his ongoing judicial remand in a separate CBI case. The Supreme Court’s decision on May 17 to reserve judgment marked a critical juncture in the case, as it scrutinized the legality of Kejriwal’s arrest. During the hearings, Additional Solicitor General SV Raju presented evidence suggesting that illicit funds were allegedly channeled to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) through hawala networks. Raju claimed that the ED had uncovered communications between Kejriwal and hawala operators discussing the proceeds from the purported crime. In response, Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing Kejriwal,...

  Atishi, a prominent member of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), has made serious allegations against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Delhi. She claims that the BJP is orchestrating a plan to arrest key AAP leaders, including herself. The arrest of  Delhi’s Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal  by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on charges related to money laundering linked to the city’s liquor policy has sparked a flurry of allegations and counter-allegations between AAP leader Atishi and the BJP, underscoring the intense power struggle gripping the nation’s capital. Atishi alleges that the BJP has approached her through a close associate, offering her a switch to their party to allegedly save her political career. She also alleges that the BJP intends to arrest four more AAP leaders, including Saurabh Bharadwaj, Raghav Chadha, and Durgesh Pathak, within the next two months. The BJP has vehemently denied any involvement in such activities, dismissing the allegations as “baseles...

  The INDIA bloc, a coalition of opposition parties, held a rally in  Delhi’s Ramlila ground  to condemn the BJP-led Central government’s authoritarian tactics. The leaders accused the government of misusing central agencies to target opposition parties, dissenters, and rights defenders, and demanded the immediate release of two arrested opposition Chief Ministers,  Arvind Kejriwal of Delhi and Hemant Soren of Jharkhand . The rally featured prominent leaders from various opposition parties, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and leaders from NCP, Shiv Sena, SP, RJD, and TMC. The leaders also called for the release of the  arrested Chief Ministers , a level playing field in the upcoming Lok Sabha election, and a Supreme Court-monitored probe into the BJP’s alleged financial wrongdoings. They accused the BJP of damaging democratic institutions and engaging in corrupt practices. The rally served as a rallying cry for democr...

  Sunita Kejriwal, the wife of  Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwa l, has launched a WhatsApp campaign to support her husband, who is currently in custody of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with an excise policy-linked money-laundering case. This move comes amid political intrigue and controversy, with Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri alleging that Sunita Kejriwal has ambitions of assuming her husband’s post. Puri’s comparison of Sunita Kejriwal to Rabri Devi, who assumed the role of Bihar Chief Minister when her husband Lalu Prasad Yadav was jailed in a corruption case, has added fuel to the fire. Sunita Kejriwal has been actively addressing the media from the same platform her husband once utilized, demonstrating her unwavering dedication to his cause. However, her actions have been met with both praise and criticism, further complicating the contentious situation. Critics of Arvind Kejriwal’s leadership have come to the forefront, with Union Minister Hardee...

  Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi, has been granted bail in two cases filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for skipping agency summons. The Rouse Avenue Court in Delhi granted  Kejriwal  bail on a bail bond of Rs 15,000 and a surety of Rs 1 lakh. The decision came after Kejriwal appeared before the court following a summons issued to him in connection with the Delhi Excise Policy case. The ED had filed two complaints before the magisterial court, seeking Kejriwal’s prosecution for failing to honour multiple summonses issued to him in the case. The Delhi Excise Policy case has seen two senior AAP leaders, Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh, already under judicial custody. Sisodia, the then Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on February 26 following several rounds of questioning. Singh, a member of the Rajya Sabha, was arrested on October 5. The Delhi Excise Policy case revolves around alleged irregularit...

  Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi , has been summoned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the Delhi Liquor Excise Policy case. The case pertains to alleged irregularities in the issuance of licenses to private companies for the retail sale of liquor in the national capital. The CBI has alleged that the Delhi government's Excise Department, under the leadership of Kejriwal, had granted licenses to private companies in a "hurried and arbitrary manner" in 2015-16, causing a loss of revenue to the state exchequer. The CBI has also alleged that the licenses were granted to some companies without following the due process and without inviting bids, thereby violating the norms and rules of the Excise Department. Kejriwal has denied any wrongdoing and has stated that the allegations are baseless and politically motivated. He has also accused the CBI of acting at the behest of the central government, which is controlled by the opposition pa...