Excise policy: HC asks ED to respond to Kejriwal's plea challenging summons

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday sought response of the Enforcement Directorate on a plea by AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal challenging summons issued to him on the agency's complaint in a money laundering case related to the alleged excise scam.

Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri refused to stay the trial in the criminal case and said the trial court's order, which has been challenged by Kejriwal, is two months old and not a fresh order.

The high court issued notice to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on the petition which has challenged the summons issued to the former chief minister of Delhi on the complaint filed by the agency in the case.

Kejrwal's counsel questioned the maintainability of the complaint on the grounds that while summons was issued by one officer, the complaint was filed by another officer.

The former Delhi chief minister has challenged a sessions court's September 17 order which had dismissed his plea challenging the summons.

The ED's counsel raised preliminary objection on the maintainability of the petition.

Kejriwal had moved the sessions court against an order passed by a magisterial court directing him to appear before it on the ED's complaint.

He had challenged the summons issued by the magisterial court after taking cognisance of two complaints filed by the ED over avoidance of summons issued to him.

The ED had filed complaints before the magisterial court seeking prosecution of Kejriwal for skipping multiple summonses issued to him in the case linked to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy.