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‘Hope that everyone’s rights are protected in India’, UN reacts to Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest and Lok Sabha polls
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29 Mar 2024, 10:30 AM IST
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UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres hopes for protection of political and civil rights in India and other countries holding elections, in response to the arrest of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and political unrest ahead of Lok Sabha elections.

UN expresses hope for protection of political rights in India amid Kejriwal’s arrest. (Bloomberg)

The United Nations on Thursday reacted to Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest and upcoming Lok Sabha elections in India, saying it "hopes" that people’s "political and civil rights" are "protected" in India and any other country having elections.

Stephane Dujarric, a spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was responding to a question on the “political unrest" in India ahead of the upcoming general elections in the wake of the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and the freezing of the opposition Congress Party’s bank accounts.

“What we very much hope that in India, as in any country that is having elections, that everyone’s rights are protected, including political and civil rights, and everyone can vote in an atmosphere that is free and fair," Dujarric said at a press conference here.

This came after the United States also raised questions on Kejriwal’s ED arrest and freezing of the Congress party’s bank accounts. India on Wednesday summoned a senior US diplomat to protest remarks on Delhi CM’s arrest.

Following this, Washington reiterated that it encourages fair, transparent, and timely legal processes. “I’m not going to talk about any private diplomatic conversations. But of course what we have said publicly is we encourage fair, transparent, timely legal processes," said US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller.

MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal responded to Washington’s remarks on Kejriwal’s arrest, calling it “unwarranted". “We are proud of our independent and robust democratic institutions. We are also committed to protecting them from any form of undue external influences."

Jaiswal said legal processes are driven "only by the rule of law" in India. On Wednesday, India strongly objected to the remarks of the Spokesperson of the US State Department.

In an official statement, the MEA said, “India’s legal processes are based on an independent judiciary which is committed to objective and timely outcomes. Casting aspersions on that is unwarranted."

Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on March 21 in an excise policy-related money laundering case. The AAP supremo has been sent to ED custody till April 1.