The Delhi High Court on Thursday declined to halt the ongoing trial proceedings against Arvind Kejriwal, the former Chief Minister of Delhi and leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), in connection with alleged irregularities in the Delhi Excise Policy for the year 2021-22. Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri called for a response from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) regarding Kejriwal’s challenge to a trial court’s decision to take cognisance of the chargesheet filed against him.
The matter has been scheduled for further hearing on December 20. Kejriwal’s legal team argued for the dismissal of the trial court’s order, claiming it was issued without proper sanction for his prosecution, given his status as a public servant at the time the alleged offenses were committed. However, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the ED, countered that sanction had indeed been obtained and confirmed his intention to submit this evidence formally through an affidavit.
During the session, Kejriwal’s counsel pressed for an urgent review, initially prompting the court to consider an earlier hearing date than initially planned for next year. Mehta requested time to reply to the application for a stay, highlighting the complexity of the situation.
This legal battle follows multiple court engagements for Kejriwal, who was granted interim bail by the Supreme Court on July 12 in a related money laundering case, and again on September 13 in a case handled by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Both the CBI and the ED have accused Kejriwal of facilitating policy changes that purportedly led to undue advantages for certain liquor license holders under the excise policy, which was first implemented on November 17, 2021, and subsequently rescinded by the end of September 2022 amid corruption allegations.
