Delhi Excise Policy: ED Issues 9th Summons To CM Arvind Kejriwal
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Sunday issued the ninth summons to chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in the money laundering case linked to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy, asking him to appear before it on Thursday, March 21.
The ED’s ninth summons comes a day after Arvind Kejriwal was granted bail by the additional chief metropolitan magistrate of Rouse Avenue Court against arrest for skipping summons issued to him by the probe agency in the Delhi liquor policy money laundering case.
During the hearing, Arvind Kejriwal appeared physically before the court on Saturday. ACMM Divya Malhotra granted bail to the Aam Aadmi Party national convenor and noted that Section 174 of the Indian Penal Code is bailable and directed to furnish ₹15,000 thousand each in both complaint cases.
The court further directed the ED to hand over documents related to the complaints to Kejriwal.
On Thursday, it was submitted that Kejriwal gave a reply to each notice issued by the ED but despite coming to know the reasons for their non-appearance in person provided by him, the central probe agency continued issuing cyclostyle notices under Sections 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
On Thursday, the Delhi CM had moved the sessions court challenging the summons issued to him by the additional chief metropolitan magistrate on ED complaints for not complying with the summons issued by the central probe agency.
The ED has filed two complaints before the magisterial court, seeking Kejriwal’s prosecution for skipping multiple summonses issued to him in the case. The latest complaint pertains to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor not honouring summonses no. 4 to 8 sent by the federal probe agency under Section 50 of the PMLA.
The ED had earlier moved the magisterial court seeking Kejriwal’s prosecution for not attending the first three summonses issued to him in the money laundering case.
Excise ‘scam’: BRS leader Kavitha sent to ED custody
BRS leader K Kavitha, 46, allegedly a key member of the ‘South Group’, which has been accused of paying the ruling AAP kickbacks of ₹100 crore in return for a big share of liquor licences in the national capital, was on Saturday remanded in ED custody till March 23 in a money laundering case linked to the Delhi excise policy “scam”.
K Kavitha, a member of the Telangana Legislative Council and daughter of former state chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao, was produced before special judge for ED cases MK Nagpal, who sent her to the custody of the federal anti-money laundering agency for a week. The ED had sought her custody for 10 days.
K Kavitha was arrested from her Banjara Hills residence on Friday amid protests by Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) supporters.