Enforcement Directorate acknowledges Arvind Kejriwal's first official directive during custody

Official sources confirmed on Sunday that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has taken note of a statement made by Delhi minister Atishi regarding Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's directives from the agency's custody to address public welfare concerns related to water and sewerage.

According to the sources, the ED will launch an investigation to determine whether these instructions from the detained chief minister complied with the special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court's directives issued to both the ED and Kejriwal during his custody period.

During a press conference earlier on Sunday, Water Minister Atishi revealed that Kejriwal sent her a document from ED custody on Saturday containing "his instructions" to tackle public issues concerning water and sewerage. She detailed that Kejriwal urged the deployment of an adequate number of water tankers in areas experiencing water scarcity to bolster supply in preparation for the upcoming summer months. Atishi also mentioned that Kejriwal directed her to issue directives to the chief secretary and other officials regarding this matter.

The 55-year-old Kejriwal was apprehended by the ED on March 21 after raids were conducted at his official residence in connection with the Delhi excise policy-linked money laundering case.

The ED's probe will scrutinize the procedural aspects of these meetings. Any deviations discovered will be reported to the designated special court, as per the sources. The area where the detainee interacts with his legal team and family members at the ED headquarters is under CCTV surveillance.

Kejriwal, also the national convener of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), has been questioned by the ED regarding the formulation of the now-revoked Delhi excise policy 2021-22, his interactions with government officials and private stakeholders, and statements from other accused and witnesses in the case.

Additionally, the ED is investigating allegations of mobile phones handled by the chief minister's aides and staff being formatted or going missing shortly after the policy's cancellation, coinciding with the agency's and the Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) initiation of separate criminal cases to probe the purported irregularities.

While the ED contends that Kejriwal is the "mastermind and principal conspirator" of the Delhi excise policy "scandal," Kejriwal and his party have labeled the agency's actions as "political vendetta" orchestrated by the BJP-led central government.