The sessions court of Delhi’s Rouse Avenue court has rejected Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s plea to stay the summons issued by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case related to the alleged Delhi excise policy case. Additional Sessions Judge Rakesh Syal instructed Kejriwal to approach the metropolitan magistrate for exemption from appearing before the probe agency.
Arvind Kejriwal filed an appeal with the sessions court challenging the directive issued by Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Divya Malhotra, which required his presence on March 16. The ED has filed two complaints before the magisterial court, seeking Kejriwal’s prosecution for repeatedly skipping summons.
The ED intends to record Kejriwal’s statement regarding the development of the excise policy and accusations of bribery. Despite eight summonses issued by the probe agency, Arvind Kejriwal has failed to appear on various dates since November last year.
The excise policy, introduced by the Kejriwal-led Delhi government in 2021-22, aimed to rejuvenate the city’s liquor business by replacing the sales-volume-based regime with a license fee system. However, it was scrapped after Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena demanded a CBI probe, alleging irregularities.
The ED alleges that the AAP received kickbacks amounting to ₹100 crore to finalize the excise policy, with a significant portion allegedly diverted to the party’s Goa election campaign. The agency has implicated a ‘South Group’ in the purported irregularities.
The ED has already arrested two senior AAP leaders – former Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh – in connection with the case. The developments underscore the ongoing legal battle surrounding the alleged money laundering and bribery charges linked to Delhi’s excise policy.
