New Delhi, Aug 5 (PTI) The BJP reiterated its demand for resignation of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in light of the high court verdict on Monday upholding his arrest by the CBI in the alleged excise policy scam.
Both the decisions -- the Supreme Court's order on nomination by the lieutenant governor and the Delhi High Court's verdict in excise policy case -- are victories of the people of Delhi, BJP state president Virendra Sachdeva said in a press conference.
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"The question now is whether Kejriwal has the moral authority to remain the Chief Minister of Delhi," Sachdeva said and added the administration was "paralysed" and no AAP government minister was ready to be accountable for it.
"The high court order has vindicated BJP's allegations that AAP and the Kejriwal government looted Delhi in the excise policy scam," he charged.
It has become necessary that Kejriwal steps down as Delhi Chief Minister and someone else comes forward to take responsibility and bring administration back on tracks, Sachdeva said.
The Delhi High Court upheld the chief minister's arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the corruption case stemming from the alleged excise policy scam, dealing a massive blow to the AAP leader.
The high court also disposed of the AAP national convenor's bail plea and granted him liberty to approach the trial court for relief.
BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj said that while upholding Kejriwal's arrest, the court noted "it can not be said that his arrest was unjustifiable or illegal."
The "whimsical" insistence of Kejriwal to run the government from jail has led to "zero governance and complete policy paralysis" in Delhi, she charged.
Kejriwal was arrested by the CBI on June 26 from Tihar Jail, where he was lodged in judicial custody in a connected money laundering case filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
The chief minister, who was arrested by the ED on March 21, was granted bail by the trial court in the money laundering case on June 20. However, the trial court's order was stayed by the high court.
On July 12, the Supreme Court granted him interim bail in the money laundering case.
The excise policy was scrapped in 2022 after the Delhi lieutenant governor ordered a CBI probe into alleged irregularities and corruption involving the formulation and execution of the excise policy.
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)