Kejriwal challenges ED summons in Delhi high court

The Delhi chief minister’s petition will be heard by a bench of justice Suresh Kumar Kait and Manoj Jain on Wednesday

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has challenged the summons issued to him by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the agency’s probe into the Delhi excise case.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal arrives at Rouse Avenue Court at DDU Marg in New Delhi on March 16. (Sanchit Khanna/HT photo)

Kejriwal’s petition will be heard by a bench of justice Suresh Kumar Kait and Manoj Jain on Wednesday.

Kejriwal’s move to the high court came three days after he was granted bail by the additional chief metropolitan magistrate (ACMM) Divya Malhotra on March 16 in the case based on the two complaints filed by ED against him for allegedly disobeying the probe agency’s summons in the case.

ED had filed two complaints on February 3 and March 6 against Kejriwal seeking initiation of prosecution under section 174 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), for not appearing before the investigators despite repeated summons issued to him under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Under section 174 of the IPC, the person not appearing on the summons issued by a public servant shall be punished with imprisonment up to one month and a fine of ₹500.

The federal investigating agency has till date issued nine summons to Kejriwal, asking him to join the investigation being conducted in the alleged money laundering case related to the Delhi excise policy case -- on March 4, February 26, February 19, February 2, January 18, January 3, and December 22 and November 2 last year. On Sunday, the probe agency had issued fresh summons to Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal asking him to appear before it on March 21 for questioning.

To be sure, the sessions court on March 15 had refused to stay the summons issued by the magistrate court while taking cognisance of the two complaints moved by the federal anti money laundering agency.

Kejriwal had earlier written a letter to the ED, terming the summonses as “illegal and politically motivated”. He alleged they were aimed at preventing him from campaigning in elections.

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