Delhi Rouse Avenue Court on Thursday issued summons to CM Arvind Kejriwal in connection with a plea lodged by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) claiming that he was not appearing before the agency despite its summons in the money laundering case connected to Delhi Excise Policy scam.
Divya Malhotra, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) of Rouse Avenue Court issued the summons and asked Arvind Kejriwal to remain present before the Court on March 16.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed a fresh complaint case against Arvind Kejriwal on March 6 arguing that he was summoned a number of times to appear before the probe agency for questioning in relation to the alleged Delhi Excise Policy scam but he has refused to comply.
The fresh complaint was registered after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) National Convenor refused to appear before the investigation agency on March 4 for the eighth time. The Delhi Chief Minister was first summoned on November 2, 2023. Arvind Kejriwal had termed the ED’s summons as illegal and politically motivated. This is the Enforcement Directorate’s second complaint case against Kejriwal.
The federal anti-money laundering agency had on February 3, 2024 also filed a case against Arvind Kejriwal. He has been issued summons by the court in that case and is likely to appear personally on March 16.
The ED’s investigation into money laundering contentions stems from a case registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on August 17, 2022 in connection with alleged irregularities in the Delhi Excise Policy for 2021-22. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) case was registered on a complaint made by Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena on July 20, 2022.
Subsequently, the nodal agency registered a case on the money laundering angle against the accused persons on August 22, 2022. AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh are already in custody in the same case.