Arrests galore: Harbinger of democracy's doom

The arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has raised a series of questions and left the public wondering about the direction in which the country is headed, despite the ruling party and its supporters predictably welcoming the move and have also led to people talking about the erosion of democracy in our country.

- Premangshu Ray

One point raised by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) that Kejriwal heads, various opposition parties and even a significantly large section of the public, is that of the timing of the arrest in connection with the Delhi liquor policy scam. The policy was introduced in November 2021 with the aim to modernising alcohol sales in the city. However, less than a year later, in July 2022, Delhi’s Chief Secretary, who then reported to the central government through the Lieutenant Governor (LG) and not to the Delhi Chief Minister, reported violations in the policy to LG Vinai Kumar Saxena.

The LG recommended a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the report that was submitted alleged financial losses of more than Rs580 crore to the exchequer.

It is also pertinent to note that Kalvakuntla Kavitha, the daughter of former Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and the MLC from Nizamabad, was arrested on March 15, 2024, in connection with the liquor scam. Kavitha, a member of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi party, has termed her arrest illegal and a classic case of abuse of power.