The Rouse Avenue Court has taken notice of the recent Enforcement Directorate (ED) complaint against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for non-compliance with summons in the Delhi liquor policy money laundering case. The Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Divya Malhotra, acknowledging the complaint, has summoned Kejriwal to appear before the court on February 17.
In the complaint filed on Saturday, the ED invoked sections of the Code of Criminal Procedure and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, citing non-attendance in compliance with the law. Kejriwal had skipped the ED’s summons for the fifth time on February 2, terming it “unlawful.”
Having missed four previous summons, Kejriwal labeled them as “illegal and politically motivated.” The ED seeks Kejriwal’s statement on aspects related to the formulation of the excise policy, pre-policy meetings, and allegations of bribery.
In a charge sheet filed on December 2, 2023, the ED implicated AAP leader Sanjay Singh and his aide Sarvesh Mishra, alleging the party used kickbacks from the liquor policy in its election campaign in Goa in 2022. The policy aimed to revitalize the liquor business in Delhi, introducing discounts and offers. the ED has claimed that the AAP used kickbacks worth Rs 45 crore generated via the policy as part of its assembly elections campaign in Goa in 2022.
The excise policy was aimed at revitalizing the city’s flagging liquor business and replacing a sales-volume-based regime with a licence fee for traders. It promised swankier stores and a better buying experience. The policy introduced discounts and offers on the purchase of liquor for the first time in Delhi.
The Lieutenant Governor’s probe into alleged irregularities led to the policy’s cancellation. The AAP accused the predecessor, Anil Baijal, of undermining the move with last-minute changes. Two senior AAP leaders, Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh, are already in judicial custody in connection with the case. Sisodia, the former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister, was arrested by the CBI on February 26, while Singh, a Rajya Sabha member, was arrested by the ED on October 5.