The Delhi High Court on Thursday, March 21, refused to grant any interim protection from coercive action to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. A division bench led by Justice Suresh Kumar Kait said it was not inclined to grant an interim relief to the Aam Aadmi Party chief.
However, the court has sought a response from the ED on this fresh interim plea and listed the matter for further hearing for April 22, 2024.
Kejriwal had moved a fresh plea in the court seeking no coercive action against him. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued nine summons to him in the excise case till now.
On March 20, the court had asked Kejriwal on why is he not appearing before the ED for questioning in an excise policy-linked money-laundering case, as it sought the agency's stand on the AAP leader's plea challenging the summonses issues against him.
"Why don't you appear on receiving the summonses? What is preventing you not to attend?" asked the bench.
Kejriwal has repeatedly refused to appear before the agency, calling the summonses illegal. The court said arrest on the "first or second day" is not the "normal practice" as an investigating agency first records the reasons to do so, if grounds are made out.
Kejriwal's name has been mentioned multiple times in the chargesheets filed by the ED. The agency has alleged that the accused were in touch with Kejriwal for formulating the excise policy that resulted in undue benefits for them, in return for which they paid kickbacks to the AAP.
A Delhi court granted bail to Kejriwal on Saturday on two complaints filed by the ED against him for skipping six of the previous eight summonses in the money-laundering case.
With inputs from PTI
First Published: Mar 21, 2024 9:18 AM IST
