The Delhi High Court has scheduled a hearing for January 22 to address a petition by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal against the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) summons concerning the excise policy money laundering case. Justices Prathiba M Singh and Amit Sharma postponed the hearing due to related issues currently under review by the Supreme Court.
Kejriwal, the leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), is responding to the ninth summons from the ED, which insists on his appearance for the probe into alleged discrepancies in Delhi’s liquor policy. This inquiry also implicates other senior AAP figures, examining their possible involvement in money laundering.
On March 20, the High Court required the ED to address the validity of Kejriwal’s challenge. The following day, while the court considered a protection from arrest for Kejriwal, it declined to provide any interim relief. Subsequently, Kejriwal was detained by the ED.
Now released on interim bail, the Supreme Court has referred significant queries about the legality of arrests under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to a larger panel. This comes after Kejriwal faced arrest and subsequent bail by the Supreme Court on a related charge by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on June 26, which was lifted on September 13.
The allegations against Kejriwal involve communications with other accused to formulate the now-defunct excise policy, purportedly leading to illicit gains and kickbacks for AAP. In his legal challenge, Kejriwal contests specific PMLA provisions concerning arrests, questioning, and bail processes, and argues these laws encompass political entities.
