The Delhi High Court (HC) issued a fresh notice to AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday regarding the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) challenge against his acquittal in two cases. These cases relate to Kejriwal’s alleged failure to respond to summonses in the excise policy investigation.
Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma remarked that the registry reported the earlier notice had not been served to the former chief minister. The ED’s counsel informed the court that they had issued a notice to Kejriwal on April 1, but no representation appeared on his behalf.
The judge stated, “Registry reports that he is not served. I will issue a fresh notice. Respondent has not been served,” and scheduled the next hearing for July 22.
These proceedings stem from the ED’s allegations that Kejriwal intentionally defied the summonses and failed to join the investigation. The agency also claimed that he raised frivolous objections, undermining the seriousness of the probe.
Earlier, the ED’s counsel argued that the trial court made a significant error in acquitting Kejriwal, despite there being no dispute that summonses were duly issued and acknowledged but not attended by him.
In January 2023, the trial court ruled that the ED did not establish that Kejriwal intentionally disobeyed the summonses. The court pointed out that the agency failed to demonstrate that summons were validly served, particularly via email, which raised legal concerns under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The ED alleged that some accused connected with Kejriwal were involved in crafting the now-repealed excise policy, which purportedly resulted in profits for them and kickbacks to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
Kejriwal currently remains on interim bail regarding this case. The Supreme Court has referred the ongoing questions about the necessity of arrest under the PMLA to a larger bench for a thorough examination.
On February 27, the trial court discharged Kejriwal along with former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and 21 others in the liquor policy case. The court found the allegations from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) were unsubstantiated and lacked judicial merit.
However, the CBI’s plea against this discharge remains pending in the High Court, indicating that the legal challenges for Kejriwal and others are far from over.
