Arvind Kejriwal arrested by ED in Delhi liquor policy case after raids: Top 10 updates

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate officials on Thursday, hours after they reached his residence to conduct searches in the Delhi liquor money laundering case. 

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal ED arrest live updates

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal arrested: What we know so far

-The Enforcement Directorate officials began conducting searches at the AAP convener's official residence after the Delhi High Court refused to grant Arvind Kejriwal protection from arrest in the money laundering case. 

- The AAP filed an urgent hearing petition with the Supreme Court to hear the matter, its leader Atishi confirmed. Later, Abhishek Singhvi said Arvind Kejriwal will not seek an urgent hearing on his plea for protection in the Supreme Court tonight.

-A 10-member Enforcement Directorate team reached Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal's residence on Thursday evening. Within two hours, the Aam Aadmi Party leader was arrested after the ED team began its search on the premises. 

-Soon after the ED team reached his official residence on Flagstaff Road in Civil Lines, Aam Aadmi Party leaders began to gather near the residence. During the initial probe, Arvind Kejriwal's phone was also confiscated by the ED officials.

-The ED's arrest of Arvind Kejriwal has made him the first sitting chief minister to be arrested. Before the arrest, Arvind Kejriwal had skipped nearly nine summonses issued by the probe agency for questioning in the case, the latest being for Thursday, March 21.

-During the ED investigation inside Delhi CM's residence, heavy security forces were deployed near his residence to deal with any adverse situation. Additional Delhi police personnel and Rapid Action Force and CRPF teams were deployed around the chief minister's residence.

-The ED's action against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal bears resemblance to the arrest of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K Kavitha in the same case. The case pertains to alleged corruption and money laundering in formulating and executing the Delhi government's excise policy for 2021-22, which was later scrapped.

-"It seems that the ED is carrying out raids. I have not been allowed to go inside. It looks like the ED is planning to arrest him," said AAP leader and Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Thursday.

-"This entire episode shows how scared Prime Minister Narendra Modi is of Kejriwal. He has hatched a conspiracy to send him to jail before the Lok Sabha election," said AAP leader Atishi.

-Reacting to the ED action, AAP MP Raghav Chadha alleged a "big conspiracy" to arrest Kejriwal just before the Lok Sabha elections. In a series of posts on X, the party said, “ED reached the house of Delhi's son @ArvindKejriwal! BJP should know that it is trying to move the mountain in whose support the entire country stands today. The people of Delhi are watching everything. No one will sit silent today.”