Ruffled feathers: Centre summons US envoy over “unwarranted" remarks on Delhi CM's arrest

Centre on Wednesday, 27 March summoned the US Acting Deputy Chief of Mission and took strong objection to his remarks on the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, asking the country for "a fair, transparent, and timely legal process" for the jailed leader.

The meeting, which lasted 45 minutes, came after a US State Department spokesperson said that they "encourage a fair, transparent, and timely legal process for Chief Minister Kejriwal".

"We take strong objection to the remarks of the Spokesperson of the US State Department about certain legal proceedings in India," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.

"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 MEA added.

Further, it said that India's legal processes are based on an independent judiciary that is committed to objective and timely outcomes.

"Casting aspersions on that is unwarranted," the MEA said.

Earlier, govt summoned a senior diplomat from the German Embassy and lodged a strong protest over comments on the Aam Aadmi Party leader, which it called "blatant interference" in the country's internal matters.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener was arrested on 21 March and subsequently remanded to the ED's custody till 28 March by a Delhi court.

The ED arrested Kejriwal after the high court refused to grant him protection from coercive action by the federal anti-money laundering agency.

The case 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.