Liquor Policy: Delhi Court Issues Summons To CM Arvind Kejriwal On ED's Fresh Plea Against Non-Compliance Of Summons

A Delhi Court on Thursday issued summons for the second time to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on a fresh plea moved by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for not complying with the summons issued to him in the money laundering case related to the alleged liquor policy scam.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Divya Malhotra of Rouse Avenue Courts has now listed the matter for hearing on March 16.

So far, Kejriwal has been issued eight summons in the case. ED had earlier filed a complaint case against the Chief Minister for not complying with the initial three summons issued to him. That case is also listed on March 16.

A fresh plea has now been moved by the ED against non-compliance of the other summons sent to Kejriwal under Section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

Kejriwal has skipped the summons, claiming that they are illegal. However, he informed ED recently that he could be questioned via a videoconferencing link after March 12.

The fresh complaint case was filed by ED under Section 190 (1)(a) of Cr.P.C. read with Section 200 of the Code, Section 174 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 and Section 63 (4) of PMLA, 2002.

Aam Aadmi Party leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh have been arrested in the money laundering case and are presently in judicial custody.

ED has 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 Central agency has 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.