Kejriwal’s arrest: US calls for 'fair, transparent' legal proceedings; Germany takes a U-turn

After India summoned a senior US diplomat to lodge a protest over remarks on the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Washington on Wednesday (March 27) stressed that it encourages fair, transparent, timely legal processes and “we don't think anyone should object to that".

“We continue to follow these actions closely, including the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal,” US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said.

Miller was responding to a question during the State Department briefing over India summoning Acting Deputy Chief of Mission Gloria Berbena in New Delhi earlier in the day as well as on freezing of Congress party’s bank accounts.

“We are also aware of the Congress party's allegations that tax authorities have frozen some of their bank accounts in a manner that will make it challenging to effectively campaign in the upcoming elections. And we encourage fair, transparent and timely legal processes for each of these issues,” he said.

“With respect to your first question, I'm not going to talk about any private diplomatic conversations, but of course, what we have said publicly is what I just said from here, that we encourage fair, transparent, timely legal processes. We don't think anyone should object to that. We’ll make the same thing clear privately,” Miller said.

Germany’s volte face

Meanwhile, Germany on Wednesday decided to refrain from commenting on Kejriwal’s arrest.

This came days after the Indian government summoned a senior US diplomat to protest against the remarks of the German state department spokesperson on Kejriwal’s arrest. The Ministry of External Affairs said the German spokesperson’s comments interfered with the Indian judicial process and undermined the independence of the Indian judiciary.

Following the rap, the German spokesperson has refused to further comment on the issue.

“Have commented on the case. Would not report from confidential conversations now. Both sides have a great interest in deepening the cooperation and we and the Indian side look forward to the next government consultations, which are expected to take place in the autumn of this year. The Indian Constitution guarantees basic human rights and freedoms. We share these democratic values with India as a strategic partner,” the spokesperson was quoted as saying.

Why US envoy was summoned?

On Wednesday, the MEA had summoned the Acting Deputy Chief of Mission Gloria Berbena at its office in South Block in Delhi and lodged a strong protest against a US State Department official’s remarks on Kejriwal’s arrest.

The meeting lasted for more than 30 minutes.

Reports suggested that a US State Department official had said that Washington “encouraged a fair, transparent and timely legal process for chief minister Kejriwal”.

The Enforcement Directorate has arrested Kejriwal in a money laundering case linked to the excise policy ‘scam’.

The case pertains to alleged corruption and money laundering in formulating and executing the Delhi government’s excise policy for 2021-22 which was later scrapped.

Earlier, the MEA said Delhi takes 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," the ministry said.

"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 MEA said.

(With inputs from agencies)