'Respect sovereignty': India hits back at US over comments on Kejriwal's arrest, summons acting envoy

India on Wednesday hit back at the US for comments on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's arrest. The US State Department's spokesperson on Tuesday said it encouraged a fair, and transparent legal process for Kejriwal. 

"We take strong objection to the remarks of the Spokesperson of the US State Department about certain legal proceedings in India," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement. "In diplomacy, states are expected to be respectful of the sovereignty and internal affairs of others." 

This responsibility, the MEA said, is even more so in the case of fellow democracies. "It could otherwise end up setting unhealthy precedents." 

The MEA said India's legal processes are based on an independent judiciary that is committed to objective and timely outcomes. "Casting aspersions on that is unwarranted."

India's foreign ministry summoned the US' Acting Deputy Chief of Mission Gloria Berbena. The meeting lasted for approximately 40 minutes.

This came just days after the MEA summoned the Deputy Head of Mission of the German Embassy, Georg Enzweiler, to lodge a "strong protest" against remarks by a foreign affairs spokesperson in Berlin who said that "like anyone facing accusations, Mr Kejriwal is entitled to a fair and impartial trial".

"This includes he can make use of all available legal avenues without restrictions. The presumption of innocence is a central element of the rule of law and must apply to him," the spokesperson added.

On March 23, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal tweeted, "We see such remarks as interfering in our judicial process and undermining the independence of our judiciary. India is a vibrant and robust democracy with the rule of law."

"As in all legal cases in the country, and elsewhere in the democratic world, law will take its own course in the instant matter. Biased assumptions made on this account are most unwarranted," he added.