The previous five summons for the Delhi chief minister were issued on February 2, January 18, January 3, December 22, 2023, and November 2, 2023.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, on February 19, once again skipped the summons issued by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the Delhi excise policy case. This is the sixth time the AAP founder skipped the summons.
Following this, the ED reportedly lodged a complaint under section 174 of the Indian Penal Code against Kejriwal for intentionally disregarding the initial three summons served to him, it has been learnt from ANI. The court has acknowledged this complaint, signalling a preliminary acceptance that Kejriwal has committed an offense warranting prosecution.
The court is now tasked with addressing the issue of Kejriwal’s deliberate disobedience of the three summonses, rather than questioning their validity, according to sources from the ED, as reported by ANI.
In a statement, the AAP reiterated its stance that the summons sent to Kejriwal were “illegal” and stated that the matter was currently under judicial review.
The probe agency had issued its sixth summons to Kejriwal on February 14, instructing him to appear before it on February 19. The Delhi CM has consistently skipped all ED summons, contending that they were “illegal” and driven by political motives. The previous five summons were issued on February 2, January 18, January 3, December 22, 2023, and November 2, 2023.
On February 17, Delhi’s Rouse Avenue court granted Kejriwal permission to physically appear before it on March 16 concerning the ED’s complaint about his non-compliance with the previous summonses in the excise policy case. During a video conference with the court, Kejriwal cited his involvement in the debate on a trust motion in the Delhi Assembly and the ongoing Budget session, scheduled to conclude on March 1, as reasons for his inability to appear physically before the court before that date.
Kejriwal assured the court that he would be available for appearance after March 1. Subsequently, the court scheduled 10 am on March 16 as the next date for Kejriwal to physically appear.
On February 7, the ED had filed a complaint against Kejriwal for not complying with the summons in the liquor policy case, leading the court to assert that the AAP leader was “legally bound” to comply. The complaint was filed under Section 174 of the IPC for non-attendance in obedience to an order from a public servant and Section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.