Delhi High Court Reissues Notice to Arvind Kejriwal in ED Case: What’s Next?

New Developments in the ED Case Against Kejriwal

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has recently issued a new notice to Arvind Kejriwal, the leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), regarding appeals from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) that contest his earlier acquittal in two distinct cases. These cases are linked to his failure to respond to summonses related to the excise policy investigation.

Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma pointed out that the previous notice sent to Kejriwal had not been delivered, according to the court registry.

The ED's attorney mentioned that a notice was dispatched to Kejriwal on April 1, but no representation was made on his behalf.

The judge remarked, "The registry indicates that he has not been served. I will issue a new notice. The respondent has not been served," and scheduled the next hearing for July 22.

The allegations arise from the ED's complaint to the trial court, asserting that Kejriwal willfully ignored the summonses by not participating in the investigation.

Furthermore, it was claimed that he raised baseless objections and intentionally created reasons to avoid attending the inquiry.

In previous submissions to the high court, the ED's counsel argued that the trial court made a significant mistake by acquitting Kejriwal, despite the fact that it was undisputed that summonses were properly issued and received, yet he failed to appear before the agency.

On January 22, the trial court determined that the ED did not successfully demonstrate that Kejriwal intentionally disobeyed the summonses.

The court stated, "The ED has not proven the service of summons via email, nor has it established that the process of issuing summons under Section 50(2) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) through email complies with legal standards."

The ED has claimed that other defendants in the case were in contact with Kejriwal to develop the now-repealed excise policy, which allegedly provided them with undue advantages and kickbacks to the AAP.

Currently, Kejriwal is on interim bail concerning the money laundering allegations, with the Supreme Court referring questions about the "necessity and justification for arrest" under the PMLA to a larger bench for thorough examination.

On February 27, the trial court discharged Kejriwal, Sisodia, and 21 others in the liquor policy matter, stating that the CBI's case was entirely unable to withstand judicial scrutiny and was discredited in its entirety.

The CBI's appeal against this discharge is still pending in the high court.