Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi and the convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), attended the Rouse Avenue court via video-conferencing regarding his alleged evasion of multiple summons by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The ED had taken legal action against Kejriwal for his failure to respond to five summons related to an investigation into the excise policy case.
Kejriwal’s legal representative requested an exemption from his presence before the court regarding the ED summons. The court exempted Kejriwal from appearing in person for Saturday’s session.
Following the court’s decision, Kejriwal participated in the proceedings through video conferencing.
During the hearing, Kejriwal informed the court that due to ongoing discussions on the confidence motion in the Assembly and the concurrent budget session, he was unable to appear physically before the court. March 16 has been scheduled by the court for Kejriwal’s physical appearance.
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Delhi court summoned Kejriwal on February 7 after ED’s complaint
Earlier, on February 7, a Delhi court summoned Arvind Kejriwal for February 17, emphasizing that prima facie, the AAP chief was “legally obligated” to comply.
In its complaint, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) accused the Delhi chief minister of intentionally avoiding the summons and providing “feeble excuses.” The agency argued that if a prominent public official like him disregarded the law, it would set a detrimental precedent for the common man, i.e., the Aam Aadmi.
“After reviewing the complaint and the evidence presented, there appears to be a prima facie violation of Section 174 of the IPC, and there are adequate grounds to proceed against accused Arvind Kejriwal… Consequently, summonses are issued to accused Arvind Kejriwal for the offence under Section 174 of the IPC for February 17, 2024,” the judge had stated.
Section 174 pertains to non-compliance with an order from a public servant.
On February 3, the ED filed a new complaint against Kejriwal for failing to comply with its summonses.
The AAP convenor had previously written to the ED, labeling the summonses issued to him as “illegitimate and politically driven.” He alleged that the summonses were designed to hinder his election campaign efforts.
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