Delhi High Court Seeks ED Response on Kejriwal’s Plea Challenging Summons in Excise Scam Case
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday sought a response from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on a petition filed by Arvind Kejriwal, the National Convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), challenging the summons issued to him in connection with a money laundering case related to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam.
Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri refused to stay the ongoing trial in the case, stating that the order being challenged by Kejriwal was not a fresh one, but rather a two-month-old ruling. The court issued a notice to the Enforcement Directorate, directing them to respond to the petition filed by Kejriwal, who is contesting the summons issued against him in relation to the ED’s complaint.
Kejriwal’s legal counsel raised concerns about the maintainability of the complaint, arguing that while the summons was issued by one officer, the complaint itself had been filed by another officer. The counsel contended that this procedural anomaly rendered the complaint invalid.
The Delhi Chief Minister had previously challenged a September 17 order passed by a sessions court, which had dismissed his plea against the summons. The sessions court ruling had followed a magisterial court’s order, which directed Kejriwal to appear before it on the ED’s complaint after the latter had sought his prosecution for failing to comply with previous summonses.
In his appeal, Kejriwal had sought relief from the summons issued by the magisterial court, which had acted on two complaints filed by the Enforcement Directorate. These complaints were related to Kejriwal allegedly avoiding multiple summonses issued in connection with the ongoing probe into the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy.
The ED had been investigating the excise policy, which is at the heart of allegations of corruption involving the Delhi government, and has charged several individuals, including prominent politicians, in relation to the case. Kejriwal’s legal challenge is a significant development as the case progresses, with the Enforcement Directorate continuing its investigation into the matter.
The next hearing in the case is expected to shed more light on the legal complexities surrounding the excise scam probe and the procedural issues raised by Kejriwal’s legal team.
