New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has taken cognisance of Delhi Minister Atishi's statement that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal issued directives from the agency's custody to initiate public welfare projects concerning water and sewerage, official sources told PTI on Sunday.
The federal agency will launch an investigation to determine whether these directives from the detained chief minister adhered to the special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court's instructions issued to the ED and Kejriwal during his period in custody, the sources stated.
During Kejriwal's custody until March 28, the court permitted his wife Sunita Kejriwal, and personal assistant Bibhav Kumar to meet him daily for half an hour between 6 and 7 pm, in addition to his lawyers for another half hour.
On Sunday, Water Minister Atishi stated at a press conference that Kejriwal forwarded her a document from ED custody on Saturday containing "his directives" to address public concerns related to water and sewerage.
She mentioned that the chief minister instructed for an adequate number of water tankers to be deployed in areas facing water shortages to strengthen supply ahead of the summer months. Kejriwal also instructed her to issue directives to the chief secretary and other officials in this regard, she added.
Kejriwal was arrested by the ED on March 21 following raids at his official residence in connection with the Delhi excise policy-linked money laundering case.
The ED will probe whether proper procedures were followed during these meetings. If any irregularities are detected, the designated special court will be duly informed, the sources told PTI.
According to sources, the meeting area where the detainee meets his lawyers and family members at the ED headquarters is monitored via CCTV video link.
Kejriwal, also the national convener of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), has reportedly been questioned in recent days regarding the formulation of the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy 2021-22, his interactions with various government officials and private stakeholders, and statements made by other accused and witnesses in the case.
The ED is also investigating whether mobile phones handled by the chief minister's aides and staff were formatted or reported missing soon after the policy was scrapped, prompting separate criminal cases by the ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe the alleged irregularities.
While the ED has accused Kejriwal of being the "mastermind and key conspirator" of the Delhi excise policy "scam," the chief minister and his party have dismissed the agency's actions as "political vendetta" by the BJP-led central government.