Delhi Excise Policy: Court grants time to ED for responding to Arvind Kejriwal's plea

A Delhi court on Tuesday granted ED time till November 28 to file a response to former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's plea seeking a copy of the requisite sanction to prosecute him in an alleged money laundering case connected to alleged irregularities in Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22.

Special judge Kaveri Baweja passed the order on ED's plea and adjourned the matter.

"Special counsel for ED seeks some time for obtaining necessary instructions and to file reply to the application moved on behalf of Kejriwal. At request, adjourned to November 28, 2024 for filing reply, if any, and arguments on the above said application," the judge said.

Kejriwal filed the application claiming he was not served a copy of the sanction and referred to a recent hearing before the Delhi High Court, where the ED reportedly stated the required sanction was obtained from the authorities concerned when the chargesheet was filed.

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.

According to the CBI and the ED, irregularities were 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 the allegations of corruption.