Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday, March 21, became India's first Chief Minister to be placed under arrest after the Enforcement Directorate took him into its custody in the Delhi liquor policy case. He was questioned for over two hours before his arrest. The arrest comes right ahead of the Lok Sabha Election 2024. Earlier, Kejriwal had skipped 9 summons by the ED.
The Aam Aadmi Party has said that Kejriwal will not resign and will likely run the government from prison. Delhi Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goyal also said that he won't resign.
Before Kejriwal, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren was arrested on January 31 in a money laundering case. He had, however, resigned before being placed under arrest.
Chief Ministers Arrested Earlier In India
Arvind Kejriwal is the latest name in a long list of individuals arrested during their tenure as Chief Minister or after serving as the CM of a state. The list includes names like Lalu Prasad Yadav, J Jayalalithaa, Om Prakash Chautala, Madhu Koda, Chandrababu Naidu, and Hemant Soren.
Lalu Prasad Yadav
Lalu Prasad Yadav — who served as the Bihar Chief Minister for two terms, 1990-95 and 1995-97 — was first sent an arrest warrant in 1997 in the fodder scam when he was the CM. He resigned from the chair and made his wife Rabri Devi the CM. After spending 135 days in judicial custody, he was granted bail. Since then, he has gone to jail multiple times in a disproportionate assets case. Lalu is currently being probed in multiple cases related to the alleged cash-for-jobs scam.
J Jayalalithaa
Late J Jayalalithaa, who served as Tamil Nadu's Chief Minister for nearly 15 years, was removed from the CM's post in 2014 after she was convicted in a disproportionate assets case and awarded a four-year jail term. She was acquitted in 2015 based on her appeal. The sentence was reinstated by the Supreme Court pending a final verdict. However, she passed away before the final verdict could come in.
Chandrababu Naidu
TDP president Chandrababu Naidu, who served as the 13th Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh between 2014 and 2019, was arrested on September 9 last year under allegations of misappropriating funds from the Skill Development Corporation. These accusations purportedly led to a substantial loss exceeding Rs 300 crore to the state exchequer. Presently, Naidu is out on interim bail, awaiting the hearing of his regular bail petition scheduled for November 10 in the Andhra Pradesh High Court.
Om Prakash Chautala
Om Prakash Chautala, former Chief Minister of Haryana, found himself entangled in a corruption scandal pertaining to teachers' recruitment in the state in the early 2000s. Accusations against him regarding irregularities and corrupt conduct in the selection procedures.
In 2013, Om Prakash Chautala and his son Ajay faced convictions on multiple counts, including cheating and forgery, resulting in both receiving 10-year prison terms. Despite pursuing appeals, their convictions remained upheld by both the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court in 2015.
Madhu Koda
Former Jharkhand CM Madhu Koda was jailed in 2009 due to corruption charges that surfaced during his tenure. Accusations against him ranged from money laundering to amassing disproportionate assets. His arrest came a year after his tenure ended in 2008.
Koda was implicated in a mining scandal, accused of accepting bribes in exchange for granting mining contracts. He and his associates allegedly amassed over Rs 4,000 crore through illegal routes.
Koda secured release on bail in 2013, yet his properties worth Rs 144 crore were seized in connection with a money laundering case.
In 2017, he faced conviction and was sentenced to three years in prison, accompanied by a fine of Rs 25 lakh.
Hemant Soren
Hemant Soren was arrested on January 31 this year during his tenure as the Jharkhand CM. He resigned right before his arrest and the mantle was passed on to JMM leader Champai Soren. Hemant Soren was arrested in an illegal land acquisition case which was related to an illegal mining case. The allegations against him included falsification of land records.