Excise Policy: Court Acquits Former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal In Cases Over Skipping ED Summons

A Delhi Court today acquitted former Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party supremo Arvind Kejriwal in cases concerning non compliance of Enforcement Directorate's summons in relation to the alleged liquor policy scam.

Addl. Chief Judicial Magistrate Paras Dalal of Rouse Avenue Courts pronounced the verdict. A detailed order is awaited.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had moved Court against Kejriwal for not complying to the summons issued to him in the money laundering case.

ED had alleged that there was wilfull non compliance on the part of Kejriwal to the summons issued to him to join the investigation.

ED had filed two criminal complaints against Kejriwal alleging non compliance of the summons by him.

CM Kejriwal had skipped the ED summons issued for November 02 and December 21 of 2023, and January 03 and January 18 of 2024. He had called the summons notices “illegal”.

Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 21, 2024. He was granted bail by vacation judge Niyay Bindu of Rouse Avenue Courts on June 20, 2024. On ED's challenge, the Delhi High Court had stayed the impugned order.

In July 2024, the Supreme Court granted interim bail to Kejriwal while referring his petition challenging his arrest by ED to a larger bench.

ED had alleged that the excise policy was implemented as part of a conspiracy to give wholesale business profit of 12 percent to certain private companies, although such a stipulation was not mentioned in the minutes of meetings of Group of Ministers (GoM).

The agency had also claimed that there was a conspiracy that was coordinated by Vijay Nair and other individuals along with South Group to give extraordinary profit margins to wholesalers.

Nair was acting on behalf of chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia, according to the agency.