Excise policy case: Delhi HC refuses to stay trial court proceedings against Kejriwal

NEW DELHI: Delhi high court on Wednesday refused to stay trial court proceedings against former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in

money laundering case

linked to the alleged

excise policy scam

.
The high court also issued notice to the Enforcement Directorate on a plea moved by Kejriwal challenging the trial court’s decision to take cognizance of the central probing agency’s prosecution complaints in the Excise Policy case, citing lack of sanction.
The court fixed December 20, 2024, for a detailed hearing.
This comes a day after Kejriwal sought the court’s direction to set aside a trial court’s order on the ground that the special judge took cognisance of the chargesheet in the absence of any sanction for his prosecution when he was the Delhi chief minister, a public servant, when the offence was allegedly committed.

On November 12, the court sought the response of ED on Kejriwal’s other plea challenging the summons issued to him on the agency’s complaint in the money laundering case. The court refused to stay the trial court’s proceedings at this stage in the criminal case.
Kejriwal was granted interim bail by Supreme Court on July 12 in the money laundering case. He was released on bail by the apex court in the CBI case on September 13.
Delhi govt implemented the excise policy on Nov 17, 2021, and scrapped it by the end of Sept 2022 amid allegations of corruption. The money laundering case stems from a CBI FIR that was lodged after Delhi LG V K Saxena recommended a probe into the alleged irregularities in the implementation of the excise policy.