New Delhi: A city court on Saturday directed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to file its response on a plea by former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal seeking a copy of the requisite sanction to prosecute him the excise policy-linked money laundering case.
Special judge Kaveri Baweja issued a notice to the ED and directed the agency to file its response by November 26, when the matter will be heard next.
Has not been served a copy of the sanction: Kejriwal
Kejriwal, in his plea, claimed that he has not been served a copy of the sanction while pointing out that the ED, during a hearing before the Delhi High Court had stated that it has got the requisite sanction to prosecute him in the money laundering case.
Kejriwal moved High Court this week challenging trial court order on chargesheet cognisance
Kejriwal, who is the national convenor of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), had this week moved the High Court challenging the trial court order taking cognisance of a chargesheet filed by the ED against him and sought a direction to set aside the trial court order, contending that he was a public servant when the offence as alleged was committed and the trial court took the cognisance of the chargesheet in the absence of any sanction to prosecute him in the case. He had also sought a stay on the proceedings in the case before the trial court.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who appeared for the ED, had told the High Court during the hearing that a sanction was obtained to prosecute the former Delhi chief minister and he would be filing an affidavit.
The High Court, while refusing to stay the proceedings before the trial court, had issued notice to the ED and sought its response on Kejriwal’s plea.
Trial court earlier took cognisance of seventh supplementary chargesheet filed by ED
The ED had earlier this year filed seventh supplementary chargesheet in the excise policy-linked money laundering case naming Kejriwal and AAP as an accused and the special court had taken cognisance of the seventh supplementary chargesheet filed against Kejriwal and AAP.
Kejriwal was arrested by the ED in the money laundering case on March 21 and was granted interim bail by the Supreme Court on July 12.
