The Delhi High Court is set to hear Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s petition on Monday, challenging summonses issued to him by the Enforcement Directorate regarding an investigation into a money laundering case linked to an excise policy.
Arrested by the agency on March 21 after the high court denied him interim protection, Kejriwal has also contested the constitutional validity of certain sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act pertaining to arrest, questioning, and bail.
The petition is scheduled for a hearing before the bench of Justice Suresh Kumar Kait and Justice Manoj Jain. Kejriwal, the AAP national convenor, approached the high court following the ninth summons issued by the ED to appear on March 21. On March 20, the high court asked the ED to respond regarding the admissibility of the petition.
The following day, the court requested the ED to also address Kejriwal’s plea for protection from arrest, stating it was not inclined to grant interim relief at that stage. Subsequently, Kejriwal was arrested by the ED that evening and is currently in judicial custody. The federal probe agency alleges that individuals in touch with Kejriwal influenced the now-scrapped excise policy for their benefit, allegedly providing kickbacks to the AAP.
In the plea, Kejriwal has raised several points, including whether a political party falls under anti-money laundering laws. The plea also claims that the arbitrary procedures under the PMLA are being utilized to manipulate the electoral process in favor of the ruling party in the upcoming general elections.
Describing the petitioner as a “vocal critic” of the ruling party and a partner of the INDIA bloc, the plea contends that the ED, under the control of the Union government, has been “weaponized.”
