New Delhi:

The Delhi High Court today refused to provide protection from arrest to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the liquor policy case.

However, the court ordered the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to file a reply on Mr Kejriwal’s fresh petition and postponed the matter to April 22.

A bench of Justices Suresh Kumar Kait and Manoj Jain said: “We have heard both sides and we are not planning (to grant protection) at this stage. The accused is free to File a reply.”

Kejriwal’s plea to be spared arrest forms part of his petition challenging the education ministry’s summons to him for questioning over alleged money laundering while building on the now-abandoned Delhi liquor policy case .

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief has filed a petition against the ninth summons issued to him by the Education Department. His lawyers today asked the High Court for directions to postpone today’s summons.

“It’s all over. Time has ended. He will not be present,” said Solicitor General SV Raju, who was present at the emergency room.

Kejriwal has repeatedly refused to appear in court, saying the summons from the central agency was illegal.

AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh are in judicial custody in Delhi liquor policy case.

Mr Kejriwal’s name has been mentioned several times in the chargesheet filed by the ED. The agency alleged that the other accused were in contact with Kejriwal for formulating the excise tax policy, which allegedly gave them undue benefit, while they paid kickbacks to the AAP.