New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal conveyed to the Delhi High Court on Wednesday that he would not present himself before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday, citing a perceived risk of arrest, especially with elections looming ahead.
Kejriwal, who has contested the summons issued to him in connection with a money laundering case linked to the excise policy, sought safeguard against coercive measures after the High Court questioned his non-appearance before the investigative agency despite numerous summons. “Why are you avoiding appearing? Only by answering the summons will you ascertain if you are a witness or an accused. What is hindering you from attending?” inquired a bench comprising Justices Suresh Kumar Kait and Manoj Jain, addressed by senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing the Chief Minister.
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Singhvi highlighted that the petition raised several critical points, including whether a political party falls under the purview of anti-money laundering laws. When the bench inquired if his client would comply with the ED’s summons on Thursday, Singhvi responded negatively. “If there is an apprehension of arrest, why not seek anticipatory bail?” remarked the court, while summoning ED’s response to Kejriwal’s plea within two weeks.
Contrarily, the agency argued that the petition filed by the AAP national convener, which also contested certain provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, lacked legitimacy. Additional Solicitor General S V Raju, representing the ED, accused the Chief Minister of seeking preferential treatment, stating that the initial summons were issued in November last year when elections were not impending. “Initially, it was claimed that Diwali was approaching, now another festival… but foremost, he is a citizen of the country, and the summonses are addressed to him,” asserted ED’s counsel.
In response to a specific query from the bench, the ASG disclosed that a total of 700 summonses had been issued in the excise policy case to date, with 15 individuals arrested. Kejriwal approached the court following the latest summons, the ninth issued by the ED, summoning him to appear on March 21. The case revolves around alleged corruption in formulating and executing the city government’s excise policy for 2021-22, subsequently annulled. Following a recommendation by LG V K Saxena, the CBI lodged an FIR, leading to a money laundering investigation.
The agencies contend that irregularities were committed during the modification of the excise policy, and undue benefits were bestowed upon license holders. AAP functionaries Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh are currently in judicial custody in connection with the case. Kejriwal’s name has been recurrently cited in the chargesheets filed by the ED.