The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday arrested Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the money laundering case related to the alleged liquor policy scam.
Earlier today, a division bench of Delhi High Court refused to pass orders granting interim protection from coercive action at this stage to Kejriwal in the case.
Kejriwal has moved the Delhi High Court challenging the summons issued to him by the central probe agency. He has also filed an application seeking interim protection. The matter is fixed for hearing on April 22.
Previously, ED had filed two criminal complaints against Kejriwal in city’s Rouse Avenue Courts alleging non compliance of the summons by him. So far, nine summons have been issued to the Chief Minister by the central probe agency.
Last week, Kejriwal appeared before the ACMM court and was granted bail, subjecting to him furnishing bail bond to the sum of Rs 15,000 and a surety of like amount. That matter has been listed for hearing on April 01.
ED, in its complaints, alleged that Kejriwal failed to comply with the summons issued to him.
Kejriwal has skipped the summons, claiming that they are illegal. However, he informed ED recently that he could be questioned via a videoconferencing link after March 12.
Aam Aadmi Party leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh have been arrested in the money laundering case and are presently in judicial custody.
ED has alleged that the excise policy was implemented as part of a conspiracy to give wholesale business profit of 12 percent to certain private companies, although such a stipulation was not mentioned in the minutes of meetings of Group of Ministers (GoM).
The Central agency has also claimed that there was a conspiracy that was coordinated by Vijay Nair and other individuals along with South Group to give extraordinary profit margins to wholesalers.
Nair was acting on behalf of chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia, according to the agency. (Live Law)