New Delhi, . The application filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for judicial custody of the Delhi Chief Minister in the excise policy case said that Arvind Kejriwal has claimed in his statement that one of the accused, Vijay Nair, used to report to AAP leaders Atishi and Saurabh Bhardwaj. Was, not them.
Former AAP communication in-charge Vijay Nair has been booked by the investigating agency for members of the southern group – K. Kavitha, Sarath Reddy, Raghava Magunta, and Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy – along with other AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh – were arrested in the excise policy case.
The ED’s judicial custody plea said, “During the custodial interrogation of the arrested person (CM Kejriwal), several of his statements were recorded. During custodial interrogation, he was found giving vague answers and hiding information.
ED reported that when asked about the extent of Vijay Nair’s interactions and reporting, CM Kejriwal said that Nair did not report to him but to ministers Atishi and Bhardwaj, and his interactions with the communication in-charge were limited.
“However, Vijay Nair’s statements show that he stayed in the bungalow of a cabinet minister and worked from the CM’s camp office,” the ED told the court. The arrested man was also asked to explain why a person who reported to other AAP leaders would work from his camp office, which anyway is for the Delhi CM’s work and not the party. ”
The financial probe agency further said that CM Kejriwal dodged the question by claiming that he was not aware of who worked in the CM’s camp office.
“It is noteworthy that Vijay Nair is not some small volunteer of AAP, but its media and communications chief. He (CM Kejriwal) was also shown different WhatsApp chats which showed the involvement of Vijay Nair, who was a close associate of the arrested person and lived and worked very closely with the arrested person.
The application further states, “The arrested person has not answered the questions put to him by questioning the authenticity of the digital evidence shown to him. The arrested person also did not disclose the passwords of his digital devices, which hinders evidence collection and also shows non-cooperation of the arrested person.”
ED said that during custodial interrogation, CM Kejriwal was shown evidence of more than 10 meetings of Vijay Nair with other co-accused involved in the liquor business, including manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers and even Dinesh Arora and Abhishek. Middlemen like Boinpalli were also involved.
The central agency said, “The arrested person was asked to explain with what authority Vijay Nair had attended these meetings. The arrested person avoided the question by claiming ignorance about these persons. It is clear that a senior functionary like Vijay Nair, who had worked closely with the arrested person, would not be able to assert himself without the approval of the party chief. This is also because the ultimate benefit of these conspiracies/meetings was to the Aam Aadmi Party in the Goa election campaign.
A Delhi court on Monday sent CM Kejriwal to judicial custody till April 15, while the AAP supremo filed an application seeking the availability of three books – Ramayana and Bhagavad Geeta and How Prime Ministers Decide.
He was produced before Special Judge Kaveri Baweja of Rouse Avenue Court after his ED custody ended in a money laundering case related to the alleged excise policy scam.
Special Judge Baweja had on March 28 extended his ED custody citing “sufficient cause”. He had allowed him to meet his family members and lawyers.
