Arvind Kejriwal, K Kavitha To Stay In Jail, Custody Extended By 14 Days

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Telangana lawmaker K Kavitha - opposition politicians arrested last month - weeks before the start of the Lok Sabha election - in the alleged liquor policy scam - have been sent to extended judicial custody for 14 days. The Aam Aadmi Party boss and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi leader - both in Delhi's Tihar Jail - will be produced in court next on May 7.

The Delhi Chief Minister has a plea pending in the Supreme Court, in which he has challenged his arrest March 21 by the Enforcement Directorate on money laundering charges. The court heard the matter on April 15, but denied Mr Kejriwal immediate relief pending a reply from the federal agency.

Days earlier the Delhi High Court rejected the same plea, noting the ED had filed enough material to back its claim - that Mr Kejriwal was allegedly involved in forming the now-scrapped policy and demanding bribes of Rs 100 crore used to fund the AAP's Punjab and Goa election campaigns.

The AAP and Mr Kejriwal have denied all charges, and have counter-accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of "political vendetta" against a rival, and a member of the Congress-led INDIA opposition bloc, before the general election. The AAP and the opposition have repeatedly claimed federal investigation agencies - such as the Enforcement Directorate - target opposition leaders on instructions from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government. The centre has denied this claim.

Ms Kavitha - the daughter of former Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao - will learn on May 2 the outcome of a bail plea in Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court. Special Judge Kaveri Bawaja on Monday reserved her order. The plea is against Ms Kavitha's arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation, which took her into custody while she was still in judicial custody in the ED's case.