The US State Department, in response to an inquiry from news agency Reuters, said, “We encourage a fair, transparent, and timely legal process for Chief Minister Kejriwal.”
New Delhi: India on Wednesday summoned a senior US diplomat over recent US State Department remarks on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. According to reports, the Ministry of External Affairs in Delhi summoned the US’ Acting Deputy Chief of Mission Gloria Berbena. The meeting lasted for approximately 40 minutes. The summon came two days after a State Department spokesperson said that the US is closely following reports of the arrest of Indian opposition figure Arvind Kejriwal and encourages a fair legal process. The US State Department, in response to an inquiry from news agency Reuters, said, “We encourage a fair, transparent, and timely legal process for Chief Minister Kejriwal.”
#WATCH | The Ministry of External Affairs in Delhi summoned the US’ Acting Deputy Chief of Mission Gloria Berbena, today. The meeting lasted for approximately 40 minutes. pic.twitter.com/ONLUCI9Hnc
— ANI (@ANI) March 27, 2024
India expresses “strong displeasure”
Expressing its “strong displeasure,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that states are expected to be respectful of the sovereignty of others and casting aspersions on a country’s legal process is unwarranted.
“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,” MEA said in a statement.
This is the second international commentary on Kejriwal’s arrest. Earlier Germany had emphasized the right to a fair and impartial trial for Kejriwal, with George Enzweiler, the deputy head of mission of the German embassy, being summoned by India’s ministry of external affairs to officially express their concerns.
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 that was later scrapped.
