Kejriwal Challenges All ED Summons, Hearing Tomorrow

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has moved the Delhi High Court, disputing every summons issued to him by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) concerning the excise policy matter.

A bench comprising Justice Suresh Kumar Kait and Justice Manoj Jain is set to address the issue on Wednesday.

As per the legal representatives of the Delhi Chief Minister, all nine summonses issued by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) have been challenged. The plea asserts that these summonses are unconstitutional and unlawful.

The plea has additionally contested the validity of various provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

Kejriwal was granted bail by the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate of Rouse Avenue Court last week concerning two complaints filed by the ED due to non-compliance with summons. Kejriwal physically appeared before the court during the hearing.

According to the ED, the agency aims to record Kejriwal’s statement in the case regarding matters such as the formulation of policy, meetings held before it was finalized, and allegations of bribery.

In its sixth charge sheet submitted in the case on December 2, 2023, implicating AAP leader Sanjay Singh and his associate Sarvesh Mishra, the ED alleged that the AAP utilized kickbacks worth Rs 45 crore, accrued through the policy, as part of its assembly elections campaign in Goa in 2022.

The now-scrapped excise policy was aimed “at revitalizing the city’s flagging liquor business” and replacing a sales-volume-based regime with a license fee for traders.

Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena initiated an investigation into purported irregularities within the policy. AAP has leveled allegations against Saxena’s predecessor, Anil Baijal, suggesting that he undermined the initiative by implementing a few eleventh-hour alterations that led to revenues falling below anticipated levels.

Two prominent AAP figures, Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh, are currently held in judicial custody as part of the case.

Sisodia, who served as the Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi at the time, was detained by the CBI on February 26 after undergoing multiple rounds of questioning. On October 5, the ED arrested Sanjay Singh, who holds a position as a Rajya Sabha member.