New Delhi,19.02.2024: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has lodged a complaint against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal under Section 174 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The complaint alleges that Kejriwal intentionally disobeyed the first three summonses issued to him in connection with an excise policy-linked money laundering case.
The court has acknowledged the complaint, indicating a prima facie acceptance that Kejriwal may have committed an offence. The focus of the court is not on the validity of the summonses but on the alleged intentional disobedience by Kejriwal. Despite being summoned six times, the 55-year-old Chief Minister declined to appear before the federal agency on Monday.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has urged the ED to await the court’s decision before repeatedly issuing summonses to the Chief Minister. In a recent development on February 17, a Delhi court granted Kejriwal exemption from personal appearance for the day concerning the complaint filed by the central agency for disobeying its summons.
The matter is scheduled for further proceedings on March 16, with Kejriwal’s counsel assuring the court of his physical presence on that day. Sources from the ED have confirmed that the agency had previously filed a complaint under Section 174 of IPC against Kejriwal for ‘intentionally disobeying’ the first three summonses issued in this case.
As the legal proceedings unfold, the political landscape awaits the court’s decision, and tensions rise between the AAP and the ED over the repeated summonses issued to the Chief Minister.
