A Delhi court on Wednesday sent Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to the CBI's custody for three days after the agency arrested him in a corruption case related to the alleged excise scam.
Special Judge Amitabh Rawat passed the order on an application moved by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which arrested Kejriwal after obtaining permission from the court.
As per a report in India Today, the Delhi CM has been allowed to keep a copy of the Bhagvad Gita, eat home-cooked meal and take prescribed medicines during his custody.
Along with this, the AAP national convener had also reportedly requested for a belt since he thought that it was "embarrassing" that he had to hold his pants while going to Tihar Jail. However, this request was not granted.
Meanwhile, the judge also allowed Kejriwal to meet his wife and lawyers for one hour daily while he is in the CBI's custody.
Kejriwal will remain in the CBI's custody until his custodial interrogation in the corruption case comes to an end, which can go on for a maximum of 15 days.
If he fails to secure bail in both the cases being probed by the CBI and ED, he will go back to judicial custody once his police remand ends in the present case.
In the application seeking the AAP leader's custody, the CBI told the court that he was required to be quizzed for unearthing the larger conspiracy in the matter.
It said Kejriwal was required to be confronted with the other accused and evidence in the case.
Kejriwal claimed innocence before the court.
"It is being run in the media through CBI sources that I have a statement putting the entire blame on (former Delhi deputy chief minister) Manish Sisodia. I have not given any such statement that Sisodia or anyone else is guilty. I have said Sisodia is innocent, the AAP is innocent, I am innocent. Their entire plan is to defame us in the media. Please record that all these have been run in the media through CBI sources," Kejriwal told the court.
He also claimed that the agency is sensationalising the issue.
"This will be the top headline in all the newspapers. Their aim is to sensationalise the matter," he told the court.
Kejriwal's lawyer opposed the CBI's plea seeking his custody, describing the agency's remand application as "totally vague".
"This is a classic case of abuse of power," the defence counsel said.
(With PTI inputs)