This Monday, an Indian court extended the arrest of main opposition leader Arvind Kejriwal on corruption charges for another two weeks, his lawyers announced.
Kejriwal was detained by India’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Agency on March 21 on charges of liquor corruption. The court ruled that he will remain in custody until April 1.
The arrest sparked several protests, with opposition parties accusing the government of wanting to eliminate competition in a general election scheduled in less than three weeks.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP or “Common Man”), of which Kejriwal is the leader, claims that the person responsible was arrested on false charges and that the case was fabricated, but the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP or “Indian People’s Party”) Prime Minister Narendra Modi denies any political interference.
Arvind Kejriwal and his party received billions of rupees (€11 million) in bribes from liquor suppliers for nearly two years, according to the agency that detained him.
The party has denied the allegations and said Kejriwal will remain chief minister of New Delhi even while the case is debated in court.
The party is part of an alliance of opposition parties called INDIA, which is the main rival of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party in the upcoming elections.
The decision to extend the detention on Monday was, according to the agency, due to the fact that Kejriwal was not cooperating and was giving evasive answers.
Kejriwal’s case has dominated the news in India as general elections are set to begin on the 19th and opposition parties say the government is misusing federal investigative agencies to target and weaken its political opponents.
Modi’s opposition has also pointed to a series of raids, arrests and corruption investigations against important opposition figures.
Recently, the opposition movement Indian National Congress accused the government of paralyzing the party by freezing its bank accounts.
Modi’s party denies using law enforcement agencies to harass the opposition and says the agencies act independently.
Kejriwal’s arrest is seen as another setback for the opposition bloc.
The bloc kicked off its election campaign on Sunday with a large rally in New Delhi where leaders criticized the arrest of Kejriwal and other officials such as his deputy Manish Sisodia and fellow party MP Sanjay Singh.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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