The External Affairs Ministry on Wednesday objected to comments made by the United States’ Department of State on the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
The ministry summoned Gloria Berbena, the United States’ acting deputy mission chief in New Delhi, on Wednesday to lodge a protest about Washington’s comments.
The US State Department had said on Monday that it is closely following reports on Kejriwal’s arrest and encouraged a “fair, transparent and timely” legal process in the case, Reuters had reported.
The Enforcement Directorate arrested the Aam Aadmi Party chief on March 21 in connection with the Delhi liquor excise policy case ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. He is the first sitting chief minister to have been arrested. On Friday, a Delhi court sent Kejriwal to the central law enforcement agency’s custody until March 28.
Randhir Jaiswal, the external affairs ministry’s spokesperson, said in a statement that New Delhi has taken “strong objection to the remarks of the Spokesperson of the US State Department about certain legal proceedings in India”.
“In diplomacy, states are expected to be respectful of the sovereignty and internal affairs of others,” Jaiswal added. “This responsibility is even more so in case of fellow democracies. It could otherwise end up setting unhealthy precedents.”
Jaiswal added: “India’s legal processes are based on an independent judiciary which is committed to objective and timely outcomes. Casting aspersions on that is unwarranted.”
The development comes after Germany on March 22 said that it had taken note of the Aam Aadmi Party leader’s arrest.
“We assume and expect that the standards relating to the independence of the judiciary and basic democratic principles will also be applied in this case,” the German foreign ministry had said. “Like anyone facing accusations, Mr Kejriwal is entitled to a fair and impartial trial.”
On Saturday, the External Affairs Ministry had summoned Georg Enzweiler, the German embassy’s deputy chief of mission in New Delhi, to protest the comments.
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