The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has taken the step to challenge the trial court’s decision that acquitted Arvind Kejriwal, the national convenor of AAP, in cases related to alleged non-compliance with summons in the excise policy money laundering case. The ED’s appeal is set to be heard by Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma in the Delhi High Court. This move follows the Rouse Avenue Court’s acquittal of Kejriwal in complaint cases filed by the ED, accusing him of intentionally ignoring multiple summons under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
The ED had issued five summons to Kejriwal on different occasions, alleging his failure to appear before the agency, which led to the initiation of prosecution proceedings. The agency argued that non-compliance by a high public figure like Kejriwal would set a negative precedent. The ED had expressed its intent to challenge the acquittal during earlier proceedings at the Delhi High Court after Kejriwal withdrew his plea challenging the summons issued to him.
In a related development, the CBI has also moved the Delhi High Court to challenge a trial court’s decision that discharged all 23 accused, including Kejriwal and former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, in a corruption case linked to the excise policy. The trial court had ruled that the prosecution failed to establish a prima facie case against the accused. Kejriwal, on the other hand, has approached the Supreme Court, questioning the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court’s refusal to transfer the CBI’s plea hearing from Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma’s bench.
