A Delhi court has granted Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal exemption from appearing in person for the day in connection with a complaint filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The complaint pertains to Kejriwal's alleged non-compliance with summonses in a money laundering case linked to the now-defunct excise policy.
Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Divya Malhotra provided relief to Kejriwal after he appeared before the court via videoconferencing and requested exemption from physical appearance, citing the ongoing Budget session of the Delhi Assembly. Kejriwal assured the court that he would appear in person on the next hearing date.
The court has adjourned the matter to March 16. In its complaint, the ED accuses Kejriwal of intentionally avoiding compliance with summonses and providing insufficient excuses. The agency asserts that such behavior sets a negative precedent, especially for a high-ranking public figure like Kejriwal.
Earlier, the judge had stated that there were sufficient grounds to proceed against Kejriwal under Section 174 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), based on the complaint's contents and the evidence presented.