India: Court orders custody of Delhi CM Kejriwal until March 28

An Indian court on Friday sent Arvind Kejriwal, the chief minister of the national capital territory of Delhi, to custody until March 28 after he was arrested for corruption in the city's liquor policy.

"My life is dedicated to the country, whether I am inside or outside," Kejriwal told reporters while being led into a courtroom by officers from the Enforcement Directorate, India's main financial crimes agency.

Hundreds of supporters from Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) took to the streets on Friday to condemn the leader's arrest, with police breaking up one crowd of protesters who attempted to block a busy traffic intersection.

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Several demonstrators were detained, including Delhi Education Minister Atishi Marlena Singh and Health Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj.

Rallies in support of Kejriwal were held in numerous other big cities around India.

Kejriwal's government was accused of corruption when it implemented a policy to liberalise the sale of liquor in 2021 and give up a lucrative government stake in the sector.

The policy was withdrawn the following year, but the resulting probe into the alleged corrupt allocation of licences has since seen the jailing of two top Kejriwal allies.

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