A Delhi court Today (March 15th) turned down the request of AAP supremo Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal to delay the summons from the lower court, which required his appearance on Saturday regarding the Delhi excise policy case. A Magistrate court had issued summons to Kejriwal in two cases and he has to appear before the court on March 16.
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NEW DELHI: A sessions court in Delhi dismissed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s plea seeking a halt to the proceedings before the magistrate court in a case filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). This case pertains to Kejriwal skipping the agency’s summons related to the Delhi excise policy.
Special Judge Rakesh Syal of Rouse Avenue Courts made the ruling on Kejriwal’s petition for a stay on the magistrate court’s proceedings. Kejriwal had also requested exemption from appearing personally before the magistrate court. The sessions court suggested that Kejriwal could file the exemption application directly with the magistrate court.
Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Divya Malhotra had summoned Kejriwal in two separate complaints filed by the ED. The first summons was issued on February 7, and the second was issued on March 7. Both matters are scheduled for hearing on March 16.
The ED initiated these complaints against Kejriwal after he repeatedly failed to participate in the investigation into the excise policy case, despite being summoned under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Although Kejriwal had previously participated in proceedings via virtual conference on February 17 and stated his intention to appear in person on March 16, he filed the current pleas challenging the summon orders just two days before the hearing.
Senior Advocate Ramesh Gupta and Advocate Rajiv Mohan represented Kejriwal in court. Gupta emphasized that Kejriwal’s absence from the summons was not due to personal reasons.
“Arvind Kejriwal, being a public servant as the Chief Minister, has been summoned in his personal capacity, but I will demonstrate from the records that these summons were sent to him in connection with a case registered under the excise policy that was in effect during his tenure as CM,”
-argued Gupta.
He clarified,
“I never stated that I have personal commitments like attending a relative’s wedding. My obligations are official, and I have not failed to attend the summons. I have provided explanations for my absence, indicating no deliberate evasion.”
In the ongoing Delhi excise policy case, senior AAP leaders such as Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh are already in custody. AAP has alleged that the ED aims to arrest Kejriwal before the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
The ED’s investigation into money laundering stems from a case initiated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on August 17, 2022, regarding purported irregularities in the Delhi Excise Policy for 2021-22. This case was filed based on a complaint by Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena on July 20, 2022. Subsequently, on August 22, 2022, the ED launched a money laundering probe against the accused individuals.
Allegations suggest that AAP leaders, including former Deputy Chief Minister Sisodia, and other unnamed private entities, conspired during the formulation of the policy. It is claimed that intentional loopholes were created or left in the policy to favor certain licensees and conspirators after the tender process.
Central agencies allege that kickbacks were routed through hawala channels by individuals in the liquor business from South India to some AAP public servants to facilitate “monopoly and cartelization” among liquor manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers.
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