A Delhi court has prolonged the detention of Indian opposition leader Arvind Kejriwal until April 23, as per a report by legal news website Live Law.
This extension is a setback for the opposition, relying on Kejriwal for campaigning in the upcoming general elections starting this week.
Kejriwal, the chief minister of Delhi, was arrested by India’s financial crime-fighting agency, the Enforcement Directorate (ED), in a corruption case related to the city’s liquor policy.
He had been remanded to custody until April 15. Kejriwal contests his arrest as unlawful. In a separate hearing, India’s supreme court directed the ED to respond to Kejriwal’s challenge by the week of April 29.
Kejriwal, a vocal critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, dismisses the charges against him and other opposition leaders as politically motivated.
Both Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) deny any interference in law enforcement operations. Kejriwal’s detention has sparked protests in Delhi and Punjab, both governed by his Aam Aadmi Party.
It has also drawn international attention from the United States and Germany.
Despite the opposition’s unity under the INDIA alliance, opinion polls indicate BJP’s strong lead and potential for a historic third term.
India’s general elections, spanning seven phases, begin on April 19, with vote counting scheduled for June 4.
