Excise PMLA case: Delhi court defers cognizance on ED's chargesheet against Kejriwal, AAP for July

New Delhi [India], June 4 (ANI): Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court deferred the pronouncement of order on cognizance in ED's supplementary chargesheet (prosecution complaint) filed against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in connection with a money laundering case related to the excise policy case.
The Special Judge, Kaveri Baweja, said the pronouncement of the order is deferred for July 9. Recently, the same court had reserved the order after ED submissions in this regard.
During submissions, advocate Zoheb Hossain, who appeared for ED, stated that both AAP and Arvind Kejriwal are linked. A political party is a body, an association of individuals, ED's counsel said, several judgements say forming an association of this nature is traceable to a right conferred under article 19(1) c.
The Rouse Avenue Court on Sunday sent Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to judicial custody until June 5, 2024, and noted that he has surrendered in the Tihar Jail following Supreme Court directions.
Duty Judge Sanjeev Aggarwal noted that Arvind Kejriwal has surrendered to Tihar Jail, following Supreme Court directions.
The Court was hearing an application from ED seeking judicial custody of Kejriwal. The application was pending as Arvind Kejriwal was on interim bail.
The court took up an application filed by ED seeking an extension of judicial custody by a period of fourteen days. ED had moved the application on May 20, while Kejriwal was out on interim bail granted to him by the Supreme Court.
On June 1, the court reserved the order on a fresh interim bail plea moved by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal seeking 7 days of bail citing medical reasons in the Excise policy money laundering case.
The Court fixed June 5 for the pronouncement of the order on the plea but refused to pass the order on the same day as requested by Kejriwal's lawyer.
On April 9, the High Court dismissed his plea for release from jail and rejected his argument of political vendetta amid the looming Lok Sabha elections.
The High Court had said that Kejriwal's absence from nine ED summons over six months undermined any claims of special privilege as Chief Minister, suggesting his arrest was an inevitable consequence of his non-cooperation.
Kejriwal was arrested by the ED on March 21 in connection with a money laundering probe relating to alleged irregularities in the now-cancelled Delhi excise policy 2021-22. (ANI)