Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will remain in jail till April 29 at least – 10 days after the Lok Sabha election – after the Supreme Court refused an urgent hearing of a petition against his arrest on corruption charges linked to the alleged liquor policy scam. The court gave the arresting agency – the Enforcement Directorate – till April 27 to file its response to the Aam Aadmi Party leader’s petition.

The blow to Mr Kejriwal’s hope of an early hearing (and possible release, to allow him to campaign for the AAP) comes after the Delhi High Court last week rejected the same petition. The court said the ED had submitted enough by way of evidence to back its claim – that the Chief Minister was involved in forming the now-scrapped policy and demanding alleged bribes of Rs 100 crore.

Mr Kejriwal had argued, vehemently, against his arrest, pointing to the timing of the federal agency’s action; the AAP boss, a fierce and vocal critic of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, was taken into custody hours after the court refused him protection from arrest. That was after Mr Kejriwal skipped multiple summons from the ED, alleging a political conspiracy against his party before the election.

A defiant Mr Kejriwal became the first sitting Chief Minister to be arrested; weeks earlier another opposition leader, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha’s Hemant Soren, narrowly avoided that distinction by resigning minutes before his arrest by the ED, in an unrelated money laundering case.

With reference to the alleged liquor policy scam, the ED has also arrested two of Mr Kejriwal’s colleagues; his ex-deputy, Manish Sisodia, was arrested in February last year and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh in October. Mr Singh was granted bail this month by the Supreme Court, which asked the ED some tough questions, including asking why he had been jailed for six months without a trial.

The top court also wanted to know why the agency had failed, so far, to recover any of the alleged bribe money. “Nothing has been recovered… there is no trace (of money allegedly received by the AAP as bribes for allotting liquor permits to the ‘South Group’)…” the court remarked.

The ED has repeatedly claimed the Aam Aadmi Party conspired to receive Rs 600 crore in bribes – including from a ‘south group’ led by opposition leader K Kavitha of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi, who has also been arrested – for allotment of retail and wholesale liquor permits for the national capital.

A plan hatched in the United States, a network of professional shooters and weapon caches stockpiled across multiple Indian states – the makings of the shooting incident outside Bollywood actor Salman Khan‘s residence resembles a crime-thriller script. 

On Sunday at around 5 am, two men on a motorcycle fired four rounds outside Galaxy Apartments in Mumbai’s Bandra, where the actor resides, and fled from the spot. CCTV installed in the area caught the individuals sporting caps and carrying backpacks. Additionally, the footage showed them firing towards the actor’s residence. One of the suspects donned a white t-shirt paired with a black jacket and denim pants, while the other was attired in a red t-shirt with denim pants.

Both men, according to police sources, are part of the notorious Lawrence Bishnoi gang. Bishnoi is currently in Tihar Jail for his involvement in several high-profile murder cases including that of musician Sidhu Moose Wala and Rajput leader and Karni Sena chief Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi

How The Plot Was Hatched 

The scheme originated in the United States, where Anmol Bishnoi, Lawrence Bishnoi’s brother, entrusted the task of selecting shooters to Rohit Godara, another gangster also based in the US. This decision was likely influenced by Godara’s extensive network of professional shooters spanning several states in India, police said. 

Anmol Bishnoi claimed responsibility for the incident through a Facebook post. However, the IP address of the Facebook page that claimed responsibility for the firing incident was traced back to Canada. The police are investigating the possibility that a VPN was utilized to create the Facebook post.

Godara holds a key position in the Bishnoi gang due to his involvement in previous high-profile cases, including the Raju Theth murder case in Rajasthan and the Gogamedi murder case.

The Bishnoi gang maintains a ready supply of weapons strategically stored in various locations across multiple states, police said. It is suspected that Godara facilitated the provision of weapons to the shooters through his associates in India. 

Vishal, also known as Kalu, emerged as a prime candidate for the job due to his involvement in previous violent incidents orchestrated by Godara. Vishal is wanted in connection with the March murder of Gurugram-based businessman Sachin Munjal. Godara reportedly confessed to Munjal’s killing via a social media post.

Vishal and the other suspect purchased a second-hand bike from Raigad district to reach Mr Khan’s residence. They travelled to Mumbai on that bike from Panvel. The police are questioning individuals about the sale of this bike. 

Sources have said that the police vehicle, which is typically stationed outside Mr Khan’s house, was not present on Sunday morning.

Police from five states – Maharashtra, Delhi, Rajasthan, Haryana, and Punjab – have initiated a coordinated effort to apprehend those involved. 

Previous Threats To Salman Khan 

Last year, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) said that Mr Khan topped the list of 10 main targets that jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi planned to eliminate, citing the actor’s infamous 1998 black buck hunting incident, which according to the gangster, offended the Bishnoi community.

Mumbai Police escalated Mr Khan’s security status to Y+, following another threat call made on April 11 last year. Currently, the Y+ security is undergoing review. Eleven security personnel accompany Mr Khan at all times, including one or two commandos and two  Personal Security Officers (PSO). Two vehicles always accompany Mr Khan’s car, one in front and one behind and the car is fully bulletproof.

A lookout circular (LOC) was issued against an Indian student in the United Kingdom for allegedly sending a threatening email to Mr Khan. 

Apart from the Crime Branch of Mumbai Police, both the Maharashtra ATS and the National Investigation Agency have also requested detailed information about the case. While the case was transferred from the local police to the crime branch, there has been no communication or request to transfer the case to the ATS or NIA. 

An affluent Jain couple from Gujarat has donated nearly Rs 200 crore and adopted monkhood, and now plans to set out on a journey for salvation. Bhavesh Bhandari, and his wife, donated all their wealth during a ceremony in February, and will officially commit to a life of renunciation at an event later this month.

The businessman from Himmatnagar who was in the construction business follows in the footsteps of his 19-year-old daughter and 16-year-old son who adopted monkhood in 2022. People from their community say that Bhavesh and his wife were inspired by their children to “renounce their material attachments and join the ascetic path”.

After taking the pledge on April 22, the couple will have to sever all family ties and won’t be allowed to keep any ‘materialistic objects’. They will then walk barefoot across India and survive only on alms.

They will be allowed to own only two white garments, a bowl for alms and a “rajoharan”, a white broom Jain monks use to brush insects away from an area before they sit — a mark of the path of non-violence they follow.

The decision by the Bhandari family, known for their immense wealth, has garnered attention across the state. They join a handful of others like Bhavaralal Jain, who had previously turned away from billions to lead a life of restraint. Bhavaralal Jain pioneered the micro-irrigation system in India.

The Bhandari couple, along with 35 others, took out a procession spanning four kilometres where they donated all their possessions, including their mobile phones and air conditioners. Videos of the procession show the couple atop a chariot dressed like royalty.

In Jainism, taking ‘diksha’ is a significant commitment where the individual lives without material comforts, surviving on alms and wandering barefoot across the country.

Last year, a multi-millionaire diamond merchant and his wife in Gujarat made a similar move, five years after their 12-year-old son adopted monkhood. Incidentally, just like their son, who rode a Ferrari for his diksha ceremony, the couple drove a Jaguar for their initiation.

In 2017, a rich couple from Madhya Pradesh made headlines when they donated Rs 100 crore and left their three-year-old daughter to become monks. Sumit Rathore, 35, and his wife Anamika, 34, left their daughter with her grandparents before making the big move. A day before Sumit became a monk, the Gujarat State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (GSCPCR) had sought a report from the civil and police administration about the steps taken by the couple to secure the future of Ibhya, who will now have no relation with her parents as monks.