The Delhi High Court has declined to halt trial court proceedings against former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in a money laundering case linked to the alleged excise policy scam.
The court has also issued a notice to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) regarding Kejriwal‘s plea challenging the trial court’s decision to take cognizance of the ED’s prosecution complaints in the excise policy case, citing a lack of sanction.
A detailed hearing is scheduled for December 20, 2024.
This development follows Kejriwal’s recent request to set aside a trial court’s order, arguing that the special judge took cognizance of the chargesheet without the necessary sanction for his prosecution during his tenure as Delhi Chief Minister.
On November 12, the court sought the ED’s response to Kejriwal’s plea challenging the summons issued to him based on the agency’s complaint in the money laundering case. At this stage, the court has refused to stay the trial court’s proceedings in the criminal case.
Kejriwal was granted interim bail by the Supreme Court on July 12 in the money laundering case and was released on bail by the apex court in the CBI case on September 13.
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The Delhi government implemented the excise policy on November 17, 2021, and scrapped it by the end of September 2022 amid allegations of corruption. The money laundering case stems from a CBI FIR lodged after Delhi Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena recommended a probe into the alleged irregularities in the policy’s implementation.