A Special PMLA court on Monday sent Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to judicial custody till April 15, ending his 10-day long remand with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for interrogation in the excise scam.

The ED told Special Judge Kaveri Baweja of Rouse Avenue Court that the Delhi CM has informed them that one of the Delhi excise policy case accused Vijay Nair, who was in-charge of the communications of AAP, was not reporting to him but his cabinet colleagues Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj.

His interaction with Nair was limited, Kejriwal told ED as per the agency’s submission before the trial court. Nair, as per the ED allegations, had received Rs 100 crore from South Group lobby, which was allegedly utilised for funding AAP elections in Goa.

The agency has also asked Apple to help them crack the password of Kejriwal’s iPhone after the Delhi CM refused to share it during his custodial interrogation on the plea that he will do as advised by his legal team. The AAP convenor was picked up late on March 21 night for refusing to comply with nine summons issued to him in the excise case.

Meanwhile, AAP party legal head, Sanjeev Nasiar said Kejriwal has been sent to judicial custody for 14 days and “now we have the right to move the bail application. The government will run as per provisions of the law”. AAP workers staged a protest outside Tihar Jail after learning that the Delhi CM has been sent to the judicial custody.

Last week, Kejriwal challenged his arrest in the Delhi High Court, but the Judge refused to give him any interim relief and posted the matter for hearing on April 3.

On Saturday, the ED questioned Delhi Minister Kailash Gahlot to ascertain facts on the alleged tweaking of the excise policy 2021-22, which has since been scrapped, to allegedly give undue benefits to liquor companies. ED also wanted to know about Nair’s stay at a government bungalow allotted to Gahlot, who said he never moved to the allotted official bungalow and preferred to stay in his personal accommodation.

Gahlot was a member of the Delhi Group of Ministers, headed by jailed former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, constituted to draft the Delhi government’s controversial excise policy.

According to the ED, the excise policy was leaked to the “South Group” liquor lobby, including Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader, K Kavitha, who was arrested by the ED on March 15. She is now in judicial custody till April 9, but Kavitha’s lawyers have moved for her bail, which came up for hearing on Monday. It will be heard again on April 4.

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