India has summoned a US diplomat to address concerns regarding comments made by the State Department over the recent arrest of Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.
According to reports, the meeting with the diplomat is said to have lasted for 40 minutes.
The ministry of external affairs in a statement said, “We take 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. This responsibility is even more so in the case of fellow democracies. It could otherwise end up setting unhealthy precedents. 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 US state department spokesperson in a response to a question had said, “We encourage a fair, transparent, and timely legal process for chief minister [Arvind] Kejriwal.” The Enforcement Directorate had earlier arrested Kejriwal in a money laundering case related to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy.
This comes four days after a senior diplomat of the German Embassy was summoned to lodge protest over German foreign affairs spokesperson’s comments on the arrest of the chief minister.
“…Like anyone facing accusations, Mr Kejriwal is entitled to a fair and impartial trial, this includes that he can make use of all available legal avenues without restrictions. The presumption of innocence is a central element of the rule of law and must apply to him [sic],” the spokesperson had said.
The government back then had said that it saw such remarks as interfering in India’s judicial process and undermining the independence of our judiciary.
Kejriwal has been arrested to a case that pertains to the alleged corruption and money laundering in formulating and executing the Delhi government’s excise policy for 2021-22 that was later scrapped.
