The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued a fresh notice to the AAP chief, Arvind Kejriwal, concerning the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) plea contesting his acquittal in two cases. These cases are tied to Kejriwal’s failure to appear before the ED regarding allegations related to the excise policy.
Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma underscored that the registry confirmed the earlier notice intended for the former chief minister was not delivered. The ED’s counsel presented that an initial notice was issued to Kejriwal on April 1, but there was no representation from him.
“Registry reports that (he is) not served. I will issue fresh notice. Respondent has not been served,” stated Justice Sharma, listing the matter for hearing on July 22.
The cases arise from the ED’s allegations that the then-chief minister intentionally disregarded the summonses issued to him by not participating in the ongoing investigation into the alleged corruption concerning Delhi’s excise policy.
The investigation claims Kejriwal raised baseless objections and deliberately crafted reasons to evade attending the inquiry. During the court proceedings, the ED’s counsel asserted that the trial court had made a significant error by acquitting Kejriwal despite undeniable proof that summons were duly issued but not attended.
On January 22, the trial court ruled that the ED had not sufficiently demonstrated Kejriwal’s intentional disobedience of the summons. The court noted, “Neither the service of summons through emails has been proved by the ED nor the process of issuing summons to any person under Section 50(2) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) via email has been shown to be in accordance with the law.”
The ED alleges that other accused individuals in the case were actively coordinating with Kejriwal for designing the now-defunct excise policy, which reportedly granted them undue advantages and resulted in kickbacks to the Aam Aadmi Party.
Kejriwal currently enjoys interim bail in the money laundering case, which has sparked broader legal discussions. The Supreme Court has referred questions regarding the “need and necessity of arrest” under the PMLA to a larger bench for detailed consideration.
On February 27, the trial court discharged Kejriwal, former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, and 21 others in the liquor policy case. The court concluded that the CBI’s case was incapable of withstanding legal scrutiny and rendered it wholly unsubstantiated.
The CBI has filed a plea against this discharge, which is currently pending in the Delhi High Court.
