US REMARKS ON KEJRIWAL CASE UNACCEPTABLE: GOVT

NEW DELHI: With US reiterating its call for a fair trial for Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal despite "strong" objections raised by India, the Centre said Thursday that such remarks are "unwarranted" and "unacceptable", recalling the protest it had lodged with a senior US diplomat a day earlier.

"As you are aware, yesterday [Wednesday], India lodged its strong objection and protest with the senior official from the US embassy with regard to the comments made by the US State Department. The recent remarks by the State Department are unwarranted. Any such external imputation on our electoral and legal processes is completely unacceptable," said ministry of external affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.

Hours after India summoned a senior US diplomat to register a protest, the State Department had further escalated the issue by reiterating its call for a fair, transparent and timely legal process not just for Kejriwal but also over Congress's allegations that its bank accounts had been frozen to prevent it from campaigning effectively in the upcoming elections.

READ ALSO: Focus on Biden, Trump cases, BJP tells US state department

The MEA said in India, legal processes are driven only by rule of law.

"Anyone who has similar ethos, especially fellow democracies, should have no difficulty in appreciating this fact. India is proud of its independent and robust democratic institutions. We are committed to protect them from any form of undue external influences," said the spokesperson. The foreign ministry stressed respect for sovereignty and internal affairs of other countries.