NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Wednesday summoned Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on February 17 on a complaint filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against him over the non-compliance of its summons in a money-laundering case linked to the now-scrapped excise policy for the national capital.
"Cognisance of the complaint has been taken and a summons is being issued to him to appear on February 17," Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Divya Malhotra said.
The judge had reserved the order after the ED submitted that it had concluded its arguments in the matter.
In response, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said it was studying the Delhi court order that asked Kejriwal to appear before it, maintained that the multiple notices by the Enforcement Directorate against Kejriwal were "illegal," and said it would apprise the court of its stand.
"We are studying the court order and will take the necessary legal steps accordingly," AAP leader Jasmine Shah told a press conference.
On February 3, the ED had filed a fresh complaint case against Kejriwal for the non-compliance of its summons. The agency had issued the summons to him on last Wednesday.
Kejriwal had skipped the fifth summons issued to him by the ED on Friday. The AAP convenor had skipped four previous summons issued by the ED on January 18, January 3, November 2, and December 22 and had earlier written to the ED, describing the summons as "illegal and politically motivated."
He had alleged that the summonses were aimed at preventing him from campaigning in elections.
According to the ED, the agency wants to record Kejriwal's statement in the case on issues like the formulation of policy, meetings held before it was finalised, and allegations of bribery.
In its sixth charge sheet filed in the case on December 2, 2023, naming AAP leader Sanjay Singh and his aide Sarvesh Mishra, the ED has claimed that the AAP used kickbacks worth Rs 45 crore generated via the policy as part of its assembly elections campaign in Goa in 2022.
The excise policy was aimed at revitalising the city's flagging liquor business and replacing a sales-volume-based regime with a licence fee for traders. It promised swankier stores and a better buying experience. The policy introduced discounts and offers on the purchase of liquor for the first time in Delhi.
Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena's move to order a probe into alleged irregularities in the regime prompted the scrapping of the policy. The AAP has accused Saxena's predecessor, Anil Baijal, of sabotaging the move with a few last-minute changes that resulted in lower-than-expected revenues.
Two senior AAP leaders—Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh—are already under judicial custody in the case.
Sisodia, who was the then Delhi Deputy Chief Minister, was arrested by the CBI on February 26 following several rounds of questioning, and on October 5, the ED arrested Singh, who is a Rajya Sabha member.
(With inputs from PTI, ANI and Online Desk)