New Delhi: India is fuming at Germany’s “blatant interference” in the case of Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest.
India’s External Affairs Ministry on Saturday summoned a senior diplomat of German Embassy to lodge a strong protest over comments pertaining to the arrest of the Delhi chief minister, which is India’s “internal affair.”
Germany’s foreign affairs spokesperson issued a statement where he hoped that the “standards relating to the independence of the judiciary and basic democratic principles” would be applied in Kejriwal’s case.
“Like anyone facing accusations, Mr Kejriwal is entitled to a fair and impartial trial… this includes making use of all available legal avenues without restrictions. The presumption of innocence is a central element of the rule of law and must apply to him,” the spokesperson said.
India promptly summoned Georg Enzweiler, Deputy Head of Mission of the German Embassy, and lodged a “strong protest”, calling the spokesperson’s comments an “interference” in its judicial process.
“The German Deputy Chief of Mission in New Delhi was summoned today and conveyed India’s strong protest on their Foreign Office Spokesperson’s comments on our internal affairs. We see such remarks as interfering in our judicial process and undermining the independence of our judiciary. India is a vibrant and robust democracy with rule of law. As in all legal cases in the country, and elsewhere in the democratic world, law will take its own course in the instant matter. Biased assumptions made on this account are most unwarranted,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated in a post on X.
Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on Thursday night in a money-laundering case related to the Delhi excise policy.
