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Informist, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024

 

NEW DELHI - The Delhi High Court on Thursday refused to stay trial court proceedings against former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in the Delhi liquor policy case. The court also issued a notice to the Enforcement Directorate on Kejriwal's plea against the trial court taking cognisance of the probe agency's chargesheet against him. The court will now hear the case on Dec. 20.

 

Advocate N. Hariharan said the trial court could not have taken cognisance of the chargesheet without prosecution sanction against the Aam Aadmi Party leader. "When the supplementary prosecution complaint was filed, there was no sanction," said Hariharan. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the probe agency, said it has the official sanction required under Section 197 of the Code of Criminal Procedure to prosecute Kejriwal. The sanction would be placed on record in an affidavit, he said. 

 

The Enforcement Directorate has claimed that Kejriwal and Aam Aadmi Party were inextricably linked to the alleged excise policy scam. It said Kejriwal was the kingpin and key conspirator in the scam, which also involved other AAP leaders and private individuals. Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on Mar. 21 in connection with a money-laundering case stemming from the liquor policy case. 

 

The CBI registered a case in the excise policy case in July 2022 on a complaint from Delhi's Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena. On Jun. 26, the agency arrested Kejriwal after the Rouse Avenue court permitted it to interrogate him in the case.  

 

On Jul. 12, the Supreme Court granted Kejriwal interim bail in the Enforcement Directorate's probe and referred legal questions arising out of his petition challenging his arrest by the agency to a larger bench of the court. On Sep. 13, the apex court granted bail to Kejriwal in the liquor policy case being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation.

 

The Delhi government had in November 2021 announced a new excise policy that allowed private companies to sell liquor in the national capital. The policy was withdrawn after allegations of cartelisation and monopoly. The CBI and the Enforcement Directorate have alleged that AAP took money from a liquor lobby in south India to announce the new policy.  End

 

Reported by Surya Tripathi

Edited by Vandana Hingorani 

 

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