Kejriwal, who has challenged the summons issued to him in an excise policy-linked money laundering case, sought protection from coercive action after HC asked why he hadn’t appeared before the probe agency in response to its several summonses.
“Why don’t you appear? Only once you answer the summons will you come to know if you are a witness or an accused. What is preventing you from attending their call?” a bench of justices Suresh Kumar Kait and Manoj Jain asked senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing the CM.
Singhvi said the petition raises several issues, including whether a political party is covered by the anti-money laundering law. When the bench asked if his client will appear before ED on Thursday, Singhvi answered in negative.
“If you apprehend you may be arrested, why don’t you move anticipatory bail,” the court remarked, while seeking the stand of ED on Kejriwal’s plea, giving it two weeks’ time.
On its part, the agency claimed the petition of the AAP national convenor, which also challenges certain provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, was not maintainable.
Appearing for ED, additional solicitor general S V Raju accused the CM of “behaving like a privileged person seeking special treatment”. He pointed out that the first summons was issued for November last year when there were no elections. “That time it was said Diwali is round the corner, now we’re on to another festival… before anything he is a citizen of the country, the summonses are by name,” ED’s counsel contended.
On a specific query by the bench, the ASG revealed that 700 summonses in total have been issued in the excise policy case till now while 15 people have been arrested.
Kejriwal moved court in the wake of the latest summons, the ninth issued by ED asking him to appear before it on March 21. The case relates to alleged corruption in formulating and executing the city government’s excise policy for 2021-22, which was later scrapped. Following a recommendation by LG V K Saxena, CBI registered an FIR, which subsequently resulted in the money laundering probe.
The agencies have claimed that irregularities were committed while modifying the excise policy and undue favours were extended to licence holders. AAP functionaries Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh are in judicial custody in the case. Kejriwal’s name has been mentioned multiple times in the chargesheets filed by ED.
Source Agencies
