"It was our principle that we will stay out of politics and try to clean politics. But then a group of people decided that we should enter into politics (and then went on to form AAP) and clean it which I never believed can be done successfully.
And I think what's happening today in AAP is an example of what I thought was correct," former judge Santosh Hegde said.
Arvind Kejriwal in Enforcement Directorate custody till March 28 in liquor policy case
Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court has sent Arvind Kejriwal to 6-day Enforcement Directorate custody till March 28, a day after his arrest in the excise policy-linked money laundering case.
He will be produced before the court at 2 pm on March 28.
Kejriwal was produced in the trial court on Friday, March 22, shortly after he withdrew from the Supreme Court his plea against his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in the excise policy case on Thursday evening.
During the remand hearing, the federal probe agency alleged that Kejriwal received several crores of rupees as kickbacks from the 'South group' for formulating and implementing the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22.
"He demanded Rs 100 crore from some accused from the 'South group' for contesting the Goa elections," Additional Solicitor General (ASG) SV Raju, who is appearing for the agency, told the Rouse Avenue Court.
Raju also claimed that the money trail showed that Rs 45 crore 'kickback' used in the Goa elections came from four hawala routes.
Meanwhile, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who appeared for Arvind Kejriwal, opposed the remand plea and contended that the probe agency needs to show the necessity to arrest the Delhi Chief Minister.
Singhvi also argued that the power of arrest and necessity of arrest are two different things.
The senior lawyer also pointed out that in the history of 75 years of independence, this is the first time a sitting Chief Minister is arrested, this first time four leaders of his party are arrested. "It is like having the result before the first vote is cast," he said.
Arvind Kejriwal, while speaking with 'India Today TV', said that he will not resign as Delhi Chief Minister and will run the government from jail, if needed.
BJP leader Sudhanshu Trivedi said his reluctance to resign shows Kejriwal wants to hang on to public office. "He has gone beyond Lalu Prasad Yadav....who has stepped down in 1997 as Bihar Chief Minister. Janata Dal was in power in Delhi and neither BJP nor Narendra Modi was in power".
Former Supreme Court Judge N Santosh Hegde said today he was "totally disappointed" with Aam Aadmi Party leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who was arrested in connection with an excise policy linked money-laundering case.
Justice (retd) Hegde, a former Solicitor General of India, was among the key personalities, including Mr Kejriwal, behind the then 'India Against Corruption' movement, spearheaded by Anna Hazare, more than a decade ago, which had at the time brought the issue of corruption into sharp focus.
"It clearly shows that when in power, greed overtakes you," he said on the case against Arvind Kejriwal.
ends
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