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Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal faced twin challenges on February 3 with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) moving an application in the Rouse Avenue Court against him for not complying with the summons issued by the agency pertaining to a money laundering case in the now scrapped excise policy, and Delhi Police’s Crime Branch serving him a notice regarding his MLA poaching allegations against the BJP.
The ED’s complaint comes two days after Mr. Kejriwal skipped the fifth summons issued by the probe agency for questioning in a money laundering case linked to the Delhi liquor “scam”. Prior to this, the agency had summoned the Delhi CM on November 2 and December 21 in 2023, and January 3 and January 18 this year.
The ED’s application was moved 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 Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
The application was moved in the court of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Divya Malhotra, who put up the matter for further hearing on February 7.
“Fresh complaint case for non-attendance in compliance of Section 50, PMLA, 2002, received by way of assignment,” the judge noted and adjourned the matter.
The ED is probing a money laundering case in the scrapped Delhi excise policy which was primarily registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in 2022. In the main case, the CBI had lodged an FIR in the alleged irregularities in framing and implementation of the excise policy of Delhi and has alleged that the same was modified to extend undue favours to licence holders. For this, the licence fee was waived or reduced; and L-1 (wholesaler) licence was extended without the competent authority’s approval, the probe agency’s complaint said.
The Central agencies have already arrested three senior AAP leaders including former Delhi Public Works Minister Satyendar Jain who has been lodged in jail for over a year now. Former Deputy Chief Minster of Delhi, Manish Sisodia too is in jail in the same case, since February 2023. AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh is also in prison since October 2023 in the excise policy scam.
Reacting to ED’s summons to Mr. Kejriwal, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s objective is to topple the Delhi government by arresting the Chief Minister.
Poaching allegations
Meanwhile, after a five-hour-long drama, Delhi Police Crime Branch officers served a notice on the Delhi Chief Minister.
On January 27, Mr. Kejriwal and AAP Minister Atishi claimed that the BJP was trying to poach party MLAs by offering ₹25 crore each and a ticket in next year’s Assembly election to topple the government. The BJP had dared the CM to furnish evidence to back his claims.
“We have served the notice on him [Kejriwal] today. He can submit a written response within three days,” a senior officer said, adding that Mr. Kejriwal has been asked to reveal the names of AAP legislators he claimed were approached by the BJP.
A Crime Branch team had visited the CM’s residence in Civil Lines on Friday to serve the notice. However, the notice could not be served as Mr. Kejriwal was not at home.
On Saturday, a team led by an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP)-level officer arrived at the CM’s residence and insisted that they serve the notice on Mr. Kejriwal in person as it is in his name even as officials at the CM’s residence stood their ground, saying they were ready to take the notice and acknowledge it. The CM House officials eventually received the notice.
AAP leader Jasmine Shah posted a video on X (formerly Twitter) of his interaction with a purported Crime Branch officer, where he said, “I asked a simple question to the officer standing in front of the entrance of the residence of CM Arvind Kejriwal. Under which law is he insisting to hand over a notice personally to CM? He had no answers. It is clear they are only here to do nautanki [drama].”
Commenting on the ED’s case against Mr. Kejriwal, Union Minister Parshottam Rupala said in Ludhiana on Saturday that the arrest of the Delhi Chief Minister was neither a priority nor the target.
