The Delhi High Court on Thursday declined to stay the trial proceedings against former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is accused in a case involving irregularities related to the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22.
Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri also directed the Enforcement Directorate to respond to Kejriwal’s plea challenging a trial court’s decision to take cognizance of the chargesheet in the case. The matter is scheduled for further hearing on December 20.
Kejriwal sought to set aside the trial court’s order, arguing that the chargesheet was accepted without the necessary sanction for his prosecution, as he was a public servant at the time of the alleged offense.
However, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the ED, informed the court that the necessary sanction to prosecute Kejriwal had been obtained, and an affidavit would be filed to this effect.
Initially, Kejriwal’s counsel requested an expedited hearing, but the court decided to post the case for next month. Mehta objected, stating that an immediate order on the stay application would be unfair.
On November 12, the High Court already sought the ED’s response regarding Kejriwal’s challenge to the summons issued in a money laundering case filed by the agency.
Although Kejriwal was granted interim bail by the Supreme Court on July 12 in the money laundering case, and in the CBI case on September 13, the investigation into the alleged irregularities in the excise policy continues.
The CBI and ED allege that the excise policy was manipulated to provide undue benefits to license holders. The Delhi government implemented the policy in November 2021 but scrapped it in September 2022 following corruption allegations.
The money laundering case stems from a CBI investigation prompted by a recommendation from Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor, VK Saxena.
