The Enforcement Directorate (ED) lodged another complaint against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday for allegedly failing to adhere to the summons regarding the purported Delhi liquor policy money laundering case.
This second complaint against Arvind Kejriwal has been filed under Section 190 (1)(a) CrPC r/w section 200 CrPC 1973 r/w section 174 IPC, 1860 r/w section 63 (4) of PMLA, 2002 for non-compliance with Section 50, PMLA, 2002. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM), Divya Malhotra, after considering the submissions of Additional Solicitor General SV Raju representing the ED, scheduled the matter for further deliberation on Thursday.
Earlier, the ED had filed a complaint against Arvind Kejriwal, leading to the court issuing summons to him. In response, Arvind Kejriwal virtually attended the court proceedings concerning the ED’s complaint against him for purportedly not complying with the summons order. During the virtual appearance, Arvind Kejriwal expressed his desire to physically attend the court proceedings but cited prior commitments related to confidence motion and budget sessions as reasons for his inability to do so.
Senior Advocate Ramesh Gupta, representing Arvind Kejriwal, submitted an exemption plea and assured the court of Kejriwal’s physical presence on the next date. Acknowledging the submissions, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Divya Malhotra granted the exemption for the day and set March 16, 2024, for Arvind Kejriwal’s physical appearance before the court.
In a previous development, the Rouse Avenue Court had taken cognizance of the recent complaint filed by the Enforcement Directorate against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for non-compliance with the summons in the Delhi liquor policy money laundering case.
Recently, Arvind Kejriwal agreed to virtually attend the ED proceedings on any date after March 12. Reacting to this decision, Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj termed the ED summons as ‘illegal,’ but stated that Kejriwal opted for virtual questioning to prevent any illegal arrest. He emphasized Kejriwal’s willingness to cooperate while expressing concerns over potential conspiracies leading to an unlawful arrest.
Meanwhile, Arvind Kejriwal responded to the Directorate of Enforcement, labeling the summons as “illegal.” However, he consented to appear before the agency virtually on any date following March 12.
The ED intends to record Kejriwal’s statement regarding the formulation of the liquor policy, pre-policy meetings, and allegations of bribery. In its sixth charge sheet filed on December 2, 2023, the ED implicated AAP leader Sanjay Singh and his associate Sarvesh Mishra, alleging the use of kickbacks worth Rs 45 crore for the AAP’s election campaign in Goa in 2022.
The liquor policy aimed to rejuvenate Delhi’s liquor business by replacing a sales-volume-based regime with a license fee system, offering discounts and enhancing the buying experience. However, the policy was scrapped following a probe into alleged irregularities. The AAP accused Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena’s predecessor, Anil Baijal, of making last-minute changes that led to lower-than-expected revenues.
Two senior AAP leaders, Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh, are currently in judicial custody in connection with the case. Sisodia, the former Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, was arrested by the CBI on February 26, while the ED apprehended Singh, a Rajya Sabha member, on October 5.