Arvind Kejriwal reaches Delhi Court today, to appear in connection with Excise Policy case

NEW DELHI: Security was heightened outside Rouse Avenue Court in Delhi on Saturday as Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal arrived to appear before it in connection with the Delhi Excise Policy case.

The Rouse Avenue Court on Friday reserved an order on the stay of summons issued to Kejriwal on complaints filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

Kejriwal has challenged the summons issued by the court after taking cognizance of two complaints filed by the ED for avoidance of the summons issued to him.

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 finalized, and allegations of bribery.

The Sessions Court of Rouse Avenue Court on Friday refused to stay the summons issued to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on complaints filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Kejriwal has challenged the summons issued by the court for not complying with the summons issued by the central probe agency in the Delhi liquor policy money laundering case.

Special judge (CBI) Rakesh Syal passed an order on Friday after hearing at length both sides. ASG S V Raju alongwith Zoheb Hossain and Simon Benjamin appeared for ED and Senior Advocate Ramesh Gupta along with Advocate Rajiv Mohan appeared for Arvind Kejriwal.

Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday moved the Sessions Court challenging summons issued to him by Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate on ED complaints for not complying with the summons issued by the central probe agency in the Delhi liquor policy money laundering case.

Kejriwal while challenging the summons in sessions court further submitted that there was no intentional disobedience on his part and he always explained the reason which to date has not been controverted or found false by the Department.

Kejriwal through a plea sought the direction of the sessions court to stay proceedings adjudication before an additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate.

The Special Judge Rakesh Syal heard the matter at length from both sides amd listed the matter for Friday for further arguements in the matter. Kejriwal through revision petitions has challenged both the summons issued to him by the Magistrate court.

Senior Advocate Ramesh Gupta alongwith Mudit Jain, Mohd Irshad and Samprikta Ghosal appeared for the Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the matter while Additional Solicitor General SV Raju alongwith Special Counsel Zoheb Hossain appeared for Enforcement Directorate in the matter. Advocate Simon Benjamin also appeared in the ED in the matter.

ED opposed Delhi CM's plea seeking interim relief in the case and said Arvind Kejriwal earlier appeared through Video conferencing on February 17 and said that he will appear on March 16. He suppressed these facts and didn't annexe that order in his plea.

After a month, he came here and asked for an exemption. This is dishonest conduct on the face of it. Therefore, he is not entitled to interim relief. Last week, the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate took cognizance of the Enforcement Directorate's second complaint and issued a fresh summons to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for his personal appearance before the court on March 16.

ED recently moved the court with a second complaint for allegedly not complying with the summons in the alleged Delhi liquor policy money laundering case. The Enforcement Directorate has moved that a second complaint has been filed against Arvind Kejriwal under Section 190 (1)(a) CrPC r/w section 200 CrPC 1973 r/w section 174 IPC, 1860 r/w section 63 (4) of PMLA, 2002 for non-attendance in compliance with Section 50, PMLA, 2002.

Earlier too, the ED filed a complaint against Arvind Kejriwal in which the court issued a summons to him in the matter. Following the summons order, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal appeared virtually before the court on the ED's complaint against him for allegedly non-compliance with the summons order.

Arvind Kejriwal, while appearing, virtually informed the court that he wanted to join the court proceedings physically but due to the confidence motion and budget sessions, he couldn't come physically before the court.

In the first ED's complaint, Rouse Avenue Court on February 7, 2024, took cognizance of the Enforcement Directorate's recent complaint filed against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for not complying with the summons issued by the central probe agency in the Delhi liquor policy money laundering case.

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 finalized, 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 revitalizing 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. On October 5, the ED arrested Sanjay Singh, who is a Rajya Sabha member.