GST policy case: ED may summon Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for seventh time

The Enforcement Directorate is expected to issue fresh summons to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in connection with money laundering cases related to the excise tax policy, official sources said on Monday.

Sources in the education ministry said the local court had initially found that Kejriwal had “violated” notices issued to him earlier in the case, necessitating the issuance of the seventh summons.

Kejriwal, 55, on Monday refused to testify before a federal agency for the sixth time, with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) saying the education ministry should wait for the court’s decision instead of repeatedly issuing summons to the chief minister, who is also the party’s national convener.

On February 17, a Delhi court granted Kejriwal exemption from appearing in person before the same day on a plea lodged by the central agency for disobeying its summons in a money laundering case related to the GST policy.

The court announced the matter on March 16 and Kejriwal’s lawyer assured the court that he would be present that day.

ED sources said the agency has moved the court under Section 174 of the IPC, accusing Kejriwal of “willful violation” of the first three summons issued to him in the case.

Sources said the court has taken cognizance of this and has prima facie found Kejriwal guilty of a chargeable offense.

The court said that from the content of the complaint and the material recorded by the (ED), there is prima facie evidence of an offense under Section 174 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and there is sufficient cause against the accused (Kejriwal).

Sources said the issue before the court was not the validity of the summons but Kejriwal’s illegal conduct in deliberately violating the three summonses.

Therefore, they said there was nothing wrong in the ED issuing summons to him despite the court case being heard on March 16.

Kejriwal’s name has been mentioned several times in the chargesheet filed by the education ministry in the case.

The agency said the accused was in touch with him regarding the formulation of the now scrapped Delhi excise policy for 2021-22. AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh and party communications chief Vijay Nair have so far been arrested by the ED in the case.

The education ministry claimed in its chargesheet that AAP used “proceeds of crime” of around Rs 45 crore in its Goa election campaign.

The agency is also expected to file a new supplementary charge sheet in the case and may name AAP as a “beneficiary” of alleged kickbacks generated through the excise tax policy.

The Delhi government’s excise policy for issuing licenses to liquor traders in 2021-22 was said to have allowed cartelization and favored certain dealers who allegedly paid bribes for the purpose, but the AAP has repeatedly refuted the charge.

The policy was later repealed and Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena recommended a CBI probe, following which the education ministry registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from associated news agency – PTI)