Delhi CM's arrest: India strongly objects to US spokesperson's remarks

India today strongly objected to the remarks made by a US State Department spokesperson on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's arrest in a corruption case, saying "in diplomacy, states are expected to be respectful of the sovereignty and internal affairs of others".

"We take strong objection to the remarks of the spokesperson of the US State Department about certain legal proceedings in India. In diplomacy, states are expected to be respectful of the sovereignty and internal affairs of others. This responsibility is even more so in case of fellow democracies. It could otherwise end up setting unhealthy precedents," the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement, reports our New Delhi correspondent.

It 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."

A US State Department spokesperson, while replying to a question on India summoning the German envoy over his comments on Kejriwal's arrest, had said two days ago that the US was closely following the reports.

"We encourage a fair, transparent, and timely legal process for Chief Minister Kejriwal," the spokesperson had added in the latest backlash to the arrest of the Delhi chief minister.

Last week, India had summoned the German deputy envoy in New Delhi Georg Enzweiler "to convey India's strong protest" over Berlin's comments on the same. The German foreign ministry's remarks on Kejriwal's arrest were an interference in India's judicial process and any "biased assumptions" were "most unwarranted", an official said.

Earlier, Germany had raised concerns regarding Kejriwal's arrest. "We assume and expect that the standards relating to independence of judiciary and basic democratic principles will also be applied in this case," the German foreign ministry had said.