Delhi high court refuses to grant CM Arvind Kejriwal protection from coercive action in liquor policy case

The Delhi high court on Thursday dismissed chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s plea seeking to restrain the Enforcement Directorate (ED) from taking coercive action against him in connection with the money laundering probe related to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy. A bench headed by justices Suresh Kumar Kait and Manoj Jain said the court is not inclined to grant relief to Kejriwal at this stage.

Kejriwal moved the court in the wake of the ninth summons issued by the ED, asking him to appear before it on Thursday. The Delhi chief minister has repeatedly refused to appear before the agency, calling the summonses illegal.

“The petition is not maintainable that was our main ground. And according to us, it’s not maintainable, it’s a desperate attempt for him to file the petition. Delhi HC stated that we are not inclined to grant an interim relief,” Additional Solicitor General (ASG) SV Raju told reporters.

The case pertains to alleged corruption and money laundering in formulating and executing the Delhi government’s excise policy for 2021-22, which was later scrapped.

AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh are in judicial custody in the case.

BJP and AAP have been involved in a verbal duel over the probe agency’s summonses to Arvind Kejriwal.

Earlier today, the Bharatiya Janata Party alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo who began his political career on the principle of fighting corruption is now running away from an investigation into a “scam”.

Speaking to news agency ANI, BJP leader Nalin Kohli said that Kejriwal has chosen to ignore or run away from eight summonses issued by the Enforcement Directorate.

“What an irony that Arvind Kejriwal, who began his entire political career on the principle that he will fight corruption, is now running away from an investigation into a corruption scam. He is the CM of Delhi, and under his leadership, his ministers function. Two of his ministers are in jail without bail for an investigation into the liquor scam. CM Arvind Kejriwal has chosen to ignore or run away from 8 summons so far… But the question is, what is it he is so scared of that he is running away from joining the investigation?” Kohli said.