Achi news desk-
GUWAHATI: The United States has said it expects a “fair and legal process” for arrested Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal just days after the German Foreign Ministry spoke in a similar vein.
A State Department official was reported to have said on March 25, “We encourage a fair, transparent and timely legal process for Chief Minister Kejriwal.”
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On March 22, Sebastian Fischer, a spokesman for Germany’s foreign ministry, responded to a question about how Germany’s federal government assessed Kejriwal’s arrest, “We have taken note of the case. India is a democratic country. We assume and expect that the standards regarding the independence of the judiciary and basic democratic principles will also apply in this case.”
Fisher added that Kejriwal “is entitled to a fair and impartial trial”, which he said “includes the right to use all available legal remedies without limitation”.
“The presumption of innocence is a central element of the rule of law and must apply to it [Kejriwal’s case]”, Fisher mentioned.
In response, on March 23, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the deputy head of the German mission in New Delhi and conveyed to him “India’s strong protest over the comments of their Foreign Ministry spokesperson on our internal affairs.”
In addition, the MEA mentioned that it perceives “such comments as interfering with our judicial process and undermining the independence of our judiciary.”
Kejriwal was arrested on March 21 and later remanded in custody till March 28 by a Delhi court.
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The Delhi High Court will on Wednesday hear Kejriwal’s petition challenging his arrest by the ED.
The case concerns alleged corruption and money laundering in the formulation and implementation of the Delhi government’s excise policy for 2021-2022, which was later withdrawn. Top AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh are in judicial custody in the case.
