New Delhi:
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has been granted bail by Delhi’s Rouse Avenue court against arrest for skipping probe agency summons in the alleged Delhi excise policy scam. He was asked to furnish a personal bond of ₹ 15,000 and a security bond of ₹ 1 lakh for the bail.
The Delhi Chief Minister violated Section 174 of the Indian Penal Code – which deals with disobeying a legal order to be at a certain place in person or by agent – when he skipped the Enforcement Directorate’s repeated summons in the alleged Delhi excise policy scam.
The court summoned the AAP chief after the Enforcement Directorate, which wants to question Mr Kejriwal in connection with the Delhi excise policy case, told the court that the Chief Minister skipped eight summons issued under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
Arvind Kejriwal will not have to appear in person for the next hearing of the case on April 1.
Skipping the ED summons, Mr Kejriwal accused the Narendra Modi government of using central agencies to target Opposition leaders.
The ED’s latest summons came late in February and asked the Chief Minister to appear for questioning on March 4. However, Mr Kejriwal, who skipped the “illegal” summons, said he would appear only through video-conferencing.
But the financial probe agency insisted he appears physically and said there is no provision for questioning virtually.
Top AAP leaders – former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh – have been arrested by the ED in a money laundering case relating to Delhi’s now-scrapped excise policy.
Mr Kejriwal’s name cropped up multiple times in the ED’s charge sheets. The agency said that the accused in the case were in touch with the Chief Minister when the excise policy was being drafted.
