The Delhi High Court issued a fresh notice to AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday, responding to pleas by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) challenging his acquittal in two cases related to his failure to appear before the agency, despite multiple summonses in the excise policy case.
Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma observed that the registry reported the earlier notice had not been served to Kejriwal. “The respondent has not been served,” the judge noted, deciding to issue a fresh notice. The court has scheduled the matter for a hearing on July 22.
These legal proceedings arise from the ED’s assertion that Kejriwal intentionally disobeyed lawful summonses, thereby obstructing the investigation. The agency’s counsel claimed Kejriwal raised baseless objections and constructed obstacles to avoid participating in the inquiry.
The ED previously addressed the high court emphasizing that the trial court committed a significant error by acquitting Kejriwal, despite clear evidence that he had received the summons but failed to respond. According to the trial court’s ruling on January 22, the ED did not successfully establish that Kejriwal had intentionally disregarded these summonses.
The trial court articulated that the ED failed to demonstrate proper service of summons via emails, stating, “Neither the service of summons through emails has been proved by the ED nor the process of issuing summons to any person under Section 50(2) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) via email has been proved to be in accordance with the law.”
Moreover, the ED alleges that the other accused were in direct contact with Kejriwal regarding the formulation of the now-repealed excise policy, claiming it generated undue advantages for them and led to substantial kickbacks received by the Aam Aadmi Party.
Kejriwal currently enjoys interim bail in the money laundering case. The matter of his potential arrest under the PMLA remains unresolved as the Supreme Court has referred related questions to a larger bench for a thorough examination.
On February 27, the trial court discharged Kejriwal, former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, and 21 others in the excise policy case, asserting that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) case lacked any substantive merit and did not withstand judicial scrutiny.
The CBI’s appeal against this discharge remains pending in the Delhi High Court, adding another layer to the already complex legal scenario surrounding Kejriwal and the excise policy investigation.
