Washington "encouraged a fair, transparent, and timely legal process for Chief Minister Kejriwal," according to reports citing a US State Department official.
Digital Desk: In an explosive protest over Washington's comments regarding Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's arrest, India called a top US envoy on Wednesday.
Gloria Berbena, the acting deputy chief of mission, was called to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) headquarters in South Block. In excess of thirty minutes passed throughout the meeting.
Washington "encouraged a fair, transparent, and timely legal process for Chief Minister Kejriwal," according to reports citing a US State Department official.
The US State Department Spokesperson's comments regarding various legal proceedings in India were later met with significant opposition by the MEA, according to a statement released by the MEA.
"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 statement said.
The MEA noted in the statement that "casting aspersions on that is unwarranted" and that "an independent judiciary which is committed to objective and timely outcomes" is the foundation of India's legal systems.
This incident occurred a few days after India called the German deputy chief of mission to India on March 23 and strongly objected to comments made by that nation's foreign ministry over the chief minister of Delhi's arrest.
A representative for the German Foreign Ministry stated that they had "taken note" of Kejriwal's detention.
"We see such remarks as interfering in our judicial process and undermining the independence of our judiciary," according to the MEA.
Kejriwal has been detained by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a money laundering case involving the "scam" surrounding the excise policy.
The issue concerns purported instances of corruption and money laundering during the development and implementation of the excise policy for 2021–2022 by the Delhi government, which was subsequently rejected.
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