Arvind Kejriwal has been remanded in ED’s custody for every week

New Delhi:

Amid the talk on whether or not he can proceed to work as Delhi Chief Minister from jail, Arvind Kejriwal in the present day issued his first order from the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) lock-up, sources have mentioned.

The order was associated to the nationwide capital’s water provide, and the Chief Minister issued it via a notice to Delhi minister Atishi, who handles the portfolio, the sources mentioned.

Mr Kejriwal, who was arrested by ED on Thursday evening in a cash laundering case linked to Delhi’s now-scrapped liquor coverage, has been remanded within the central company’s custody for every week. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief has denied the allegations in opposition to him and accused the BJP-led central authorities of utilizing probe businesses for political targets.

The AAP has made it clear that Mr Kejriwal will proceed to be Chief Minister regardless of his arrest. While no legislation bars him, jail guidelines will make it very troublesome.

A former legislation officer of Delhi’s Tihar Jail says an inmate can maintain solely two conferences in every week.

“Running a government from jail is not straightforward. The jail manual states that you can meet your family, friends, or associates only twice a week. So it will not be easy for him to govern with these restrictions,” Sunil Gupta has instructed NDTV.

There is, nonetheless, a method out. Mr Kejriwal can keep on as Chief Minister if he can get authorities to place him beneath home arrest. This would, nonetheless, require an approval from Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena.

“The Administrator has the authority to declare any building as a jail,” Mr Gupta mentioned, drawing parallels with previous cases the place court docket complexes had been designated as momentary jails. Such measures may assist Mr Kejriwal proceed to run the federal government from jail.

But such an order from the Lieutenant Governor’s workplace appears unlikely, given the historical past of face-offs between the Centre’s nominee and the AAP authorities.

The Union Home Ministry, it’s learnt, is inspecting ramifications of Mr Kejriwal not resigning. Legal specialists mentioned the Centre could need to droop or take away him from the submit since he’s a public servant. This can be the process that’s adopted for presidency officers who’re arrested. They are instantly suspended from service, sources mentioned.

Mr Kejriwal is the fourth high-profile arrest within the liquor coverage case, after prime AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh and Bharat Rashtra Samithi chief Ok Kavitha.