
Apr 1, 2024
A court in Indian has placed a top opposition leader in two weeks of judicial detention after his 10 days in the custody of a federal agency expired
NEW DELHI (AP) — A court in India on Monday placed a top opposition leader in two weeks of judicial detention after his 10 days in the custody of a federal agency expired, in a case that opposition parties say is part of a crackdown by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi’s
government on rivals ahead of anational election
later this month.Arvind Kejriwal, the leader of the Aam Aadmi Party, or Common Man's Party, is the top elected official in the city of New Delhi and one of the country’s most consequential politicians of the past decade.
He
was arrested
by the federal Enforcement Directorate on March 21. The agency, controlled by Modi’s government, accused Kejriwal’s party and ministers of accepting 1 billion rupees ($12 million) in bribes from liquor contractors nearly two years ago. The arresttriggered days of protests
by hundreds of party activists supported by other opposition parties.The Aam Aadmi Party denied the accusations and said Kejriwal will remain as New Delhi’s chief minister as it fights the case in court. The party is part of a broad
alliance of opposition parties called INDIA
, which is the main challenger to Modi’s governing Bharatiya Janata Party in thecoming elections.
A day after Kejriwal's arrest, the court remanded him to six days of custody by the Enforcement Directorate that was extended by another four days on Thursday. With the expiration of his detention by the directorate on Monday, the New Delhi court ordered him held in judicial custody until April 15.
Kejriwal’s case has dominated the news in India ahead of the general election,
which starts April 19.
Opposition parties say the government is misusing federal investigation agencies to harass and weaken its political opponents. They point to a series of raids, arrests and corruption investigations of key opposition figures. Recently, the opposition Congress party accused the government of crippling the party byfreezing its bank accounts
in a tax dispute.Modi's party denies using law enforcement agencies to target the opposition and says the agencies act independently.
Kejriwal’s arrest is seen as
another setback for the opposition bloc.
On Sunday, the bloc launched its election campaign with amassive rally in New Delhi
at which opposition leaders criticized the arrest of Kejriwal and other colleagues.Lithium deposits formed by ancient volcanic activity may lie beneath parts of China’s battery manufacturing heartland, particularly along the southeastern coast, according to a new study. In an interview with the South China Morning Post, geologist Duan Zheng said that “potential targets for clay-type lithium deposits in southeastern China overlap with lithium battery industrial clusters in East and South China”. “Local supplies could significantly reduce transport costs and supply-chain risks,”...
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