Delhi Court summons Arvind Kejriwal on March 16 following fresh ED complaint

Delhi court has summoned Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to appear on March 16 following a fresh complaint filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The ED sought Kejriwal's trial for allegedly evading summons in the money laundering case related to irregularities in the now-scrapped 2021-22 Delhi excise policy.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Divya Malhotra took note of the complaint and directed Kejriwal to appear physically in court. This comes after an earlier directive for him to appear on the same date in connection with a separate ED complaint filed on February 3.

The ED argued that Kejriwal, by not complying with the summons, committed an offense under Section 174 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) which deals with disobeying a legal order. The agency claimed that Kejriwal's reasons for not appearing were frivolous, hindering the investigation.

The court had previously directed Kejriwal to appear on February 7, emphasizing his legal obligation to comply with ED summons. Despite skipping five summons since November 2, Kejriwal appeared virtually on February 17, citing the ongoing budget session as the reason for not appearing physically. However, he has since skipped three more summons.

In response to the ED's first complaint Kejriwal wrote a letter on Monday, expressing readiness to answer questions via video conferencing after March 12. The ED accused Kejriwal of intentionally ignoring summons and raising frivolous objections. The investigation focuses on the role of various individuals, including Kejriwal, in the excise policy, and tracing the proceeds of the alleged crime.

Notably, Aam Aadmi Party leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh have been arrested in connection with the case, while Kejriwal has been mentioned in ED charge sheets but not named as an accused.