Remove ‘Scam’: HC Requests ED’s Position on Arvind Kejriwal’s Request to Oppose Summons

On Wednesday, the Delhi High Court requested the Enforcement Directorate’s position about a plea filed by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal contesting the summons he received in connection with a money laundering case involving excise policies.

The AAP national convenor’s petition, which also challenges certain of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act’s provisions, was deemed unmaintainable by the investigative agency.

The ED was given two weeks by a bench led by Justice Suresh Kumar Kait to provide a response on this point.

In response to the most recent summons—the ninth one from the ED—Kerjiwal has filed a motion with the court, requesting that he attend on March 21 to be questioned under the PMLA.

In support of Kejriwal, senior attorney AM Singhvi said that the case brings up a number of questions, one of which is whether or not a political party is subject to the anti-money laundering legislation.

The AAP leader was also questioned by the court about why he was not showing up for the summons.

The petitioner’s senior attorney said that the agency’s “clear intent” to detain him in time for the upcoming elections necessitates protection against coercive action in this case.

Kejriwal has consistently declared these summonses unlawful and declined to attend in response.

The issue concerns alleged wrongdoing in the creation and implementation of the municipal government’s excise policy for 2021–2022, which was subsequently abandoned.

On Lt. Governor V. K. Saxena’s advice, the CBI filed a formal complaint about suspected corruption, which led to the money laundering investigation.

The authorities assert that unfair advantages were given to license holders and that anomalies were made while changing the excise policy. In this case, AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh are being held in judicial custody.

The charge papers that the ED filed in the excise policy case include many references to Kejriwal.

According to the agency, the accused met with Kejriwal to create the excise policy, which gave them unwarranted advantages in exchange for giving the Aam Aadmi Party kickbacks.

In response to two allegations made by the ED against Kejriwal for ignoring six of the previous eight summonses in the money laundering case, a Delhi judge on Saturday granted him bail.

The next hearing date is set for April 22.