Delhi Court Acquits Arvind Kejriwal in ED Summons Cases
Delhi court acquits Arvind Kejriwal in cases related to non-compliance with ED summons in the liquor policy probe.
In a significant development, a Delhi court on Thursday acquitted Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief and former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in cases related to alleged non-compliance with summons issued by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the Delhi liquor policy investigation. The verdict was delivered by Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Paras Dalal at the Rouse Avenue Courts, with the detailed order awaited.
The Enforcement Directorate had accused Kejriwal of wilfully ignoring multiple summons issued as part of its money laundering probe linked to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy. The agency claimed that despite repeated notices, Kejriwal failed to appear before investigators, prompting the filing of criminal complaints.
According to the ED, Kejriwal did not comply with summons issued on November 2 and December 21, 2023, and January 3 and January 18, 2024. Kejriwal, however, had consistently maintained that the summons were “illegal and politically motivated,” challenging their validity before the courts.
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The case also traces back to Kejriwal’s arrest by the ED on March 21, 2024. While he was granted bail by a trial court in June 2024, the order was stayed by the Delhi High Court after the ED appealed. Subsequently, the Supreme Court granted him interim bail in July 2024 and referred his challenge to the ED arrest to a larger constitutional bench.
In the broader liquor policy case, the ED has alleged that the Delhi excise policy for 2021–22 was designed to provide a 12 per cent profit margin to select private liquor wholesalers. The agency claimed this provision was part of a conspiracy and was not officially recorded in the Group of Ministers’ meeting minutes.
The money laundering investigation stems from a CBI case registered in August 2022, following a complaint by Delhi Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena. While Kejriwal remains on bail in the main excise policy case, Thursday’s acquittal in the ED summons matters is being seen as a major legal and political relief for the AAP leader amid ongoing proceedings.
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