New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Thursday (November 21) refused to stay trial against former Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal in an excise policy-linked money laundering case for now on a plea moved by him seeking a stay on trial proceedings against him.
Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri, while refusing to stay trial proceedings for now, posted the matter for further hearing on December 20.
The High Court also issued notice to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and sought its response on Kejriwal’s plea challenging a trial court order taking cognisance of a chargesheet filed by the agency in a Delhi Excise Policy-linked money laundering case.
Why has Kejriwal moved the High Court?
Kejriwal has sought the direction from the High Court to set aside the trial court order, submitting that he was a public servant when the alleged offence was committed and the cognisance of the chargesheet was taken by the trial court in the absence of any sanction to prosecute him in the case. He has also sought a stay on the proceedings before the trial court.
Trial court earlier took cognisance of seventh supplementary chargesheet filed by ED
The ED had earlier this year filed seventh supplementary chargesheet in the 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.
ED arrested Kejriwal in money laundering case on March 21
The ED arrested Kejriwal in the excise policy-linked money laundering case on March 21 this year. Kejriwal had challenged his arrest in the money laundering case before the Delhi High Court, which upheld his arrest in the case. He challenged the High Court verdict before the Supreme Court, which granted him interim bail on July 12 in the money laundering case till the decision on his plea challenging his arrest by a larger bench.
Kejriwal was ‘kingpin and key conspirator of excise policy ‘scam’: ED
The ED has alleged that Kejriwal was the “kingpin and key conspirator” of the excise policy “scam” and had told the special court earlier that there is sufficient evidence against the accused in the case to put them on trial.
Kejriwal was also arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the excise policy-linked corruption case and the Supreme Court granted him bail in the corruption case on September 13, following which he was released from Tihar Jail where he was lodged in judicial custody since his arrest in the money laundering case.
