Delhi excise policy case: HC asks Kejriwal, Kavitha to respond to ED's plea

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday sought the responses of several AAP leaders, including Arvind Kejriwal, and BRS leader K Kavitha on the ED's plea challenging a trial court's order directing it to supply "unrelied documents" to those accused in the alleged money laundering case related to the excise policy.

Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri issued notices to all the 40 accused on the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) petition as well as its application for stay in the case.

The high court listed the matter for further hearing on January 30 next year.

Besides former Delhi chief minister Kejriwal, AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh and several businessmen are among the accused in the case.

In November, the trial court directed the ED to supply the chargesheet and the digitised records of the remaining "unrelied documents" (those which are not used by the prosecution to support their case) to the persons accused in the case.

The ED counsel said the trial court had given the ED direction at the stage of scrutiny of documents to supply unrelied upon documents to the accused. However, according to the apex court's direction, only a list of unrelied upon documents have to be given at this stage and not the documents, the counsel argued.

The high court was informed that the case before the trial court is fixed for December 21.

According to the CBI and the ED, irregularities were allegedly committed while modifying the excise policy and undue favours were extended to the licence holders.

The Delhi government implemented the policy on November 17, 2021, and scrapped it by the end of September 2022 amid allegations of corruption.

The money laundering case stems from a CBI case lodged after Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena recommended a probe into the alleged irregularities in the implementation of the excise policy.