NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) approached a Delhi Court against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for not complying to the summons issued to him in the excise policy case after the latter skipped the central agency summons for the fifth time.
Additional Solicitor General SV Raju made the submissions on the ED's complaint, on behalf of the agency, before the ACMM Divya Malhotra of Rouse Avenue Courts in the national capital.
As per the court proceeding's order accessed by TNIE, the fresh complaint was filed under section 190 (1)(a) CrPC read with section 200 Cr.P.C, read with section 174 of the IPC read with section 63 (4) of PMLA, 2002 "for non-attendance in compliance of Section 50, PMLA".
The court has put up the case for further hearing on February 7.
Kejriwal received the fifth summon on Wednesday while he had skipped four earlier summons issued by the federal agency over the past four months.
He was called on January 18, January 3, December 21, and November 2 in 2023. He has always called these notices “illegal”.
By issuing the fresh notice, the ED has again rejected Kejriwal’s contention that the summons were “not in consonance with the law” and hence should be withdrawn.
Objecting to the summons, Kejriwal and the AAP have stated that it was unclear if the CM was asked to appear as a witness or a suspect.
AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh, apart from communications in-charge of the party Vijay Nair and some businessmen have been arrested by the ED in the case.
The agency had claimed in its charge sheet that the AAP used “proceeds of crime” to the tune of about Rs 45 crore in its Goa election campaign.
It is also expected to file a fresh supplementary charge sheet in the case and name the AAP as a “beneficiary” of the alleged kickbacks that were generated through the excise policy. The policy was subsequently scrapped, and Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena recommended a CBI probe, following which the ED registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
