A sessions court on Friday refused to grant a stay on the summons issued to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal by a magisterial court based on the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) complaint.
The ED had filed a complaint alleging that CM Kejriwal did not comply with its summons in connection with a money laundering case related to the now-scrapped Delhi liquor policy.
Special Judge Rakesh Syal of the Rouse Avenue Court said that the Chief Minister can move the appropriate application before the magisterial court itself.
"For exemption, you can move the trial court,” the judge said.
CM Kejriwal has filed two revision petitions against Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Divya Malhotra's orders issuing summons to him on the ED's complaint.
On March 7, the ACMM issued a second summons and listed the matter for hearing on March 16, when she will hear the ED's first complaint on the same matter.
Kejriwal’s revision petitions against the impugned orders are now listed for March 30.
On Thursday, Special Judge Rakesh Syal of the Rouse Avenue Court heard the arguments at length by both parties in one of the revision petitions.
On Friday, senior advocate Ramesh Gupta and advocate Rajiv Mohan appeared on CM Kejriwal's behalf and argued on the second revision petition, saying that it was not as if Kejriwal had skipped any summons issued to him on account of personal reasons.
Additional Solicitor General (ASG), S.V. Raju, appeared for the federal agency.
Since CM Kejriwal has to appear before the magisterial court on Saturday, advocate Gupta had urged the court for “exemption of petitioner (CM Kejriwal) through a lawyer or a stay or the court may be asked to adjourn the matter to the date which the sessions court fixes”.
He added, “The summoning order is revisable. Maybe this court only exempts me from appearance. It is a summoning trial case. The maximum punishment is one month or fine or both.”
On the other hand, ASG Raju said: “The modus operandi was to move the court at the last minute, put pressure on the court and say tomorrow I've to appear, grant me stay otherwise the heavens are going to fall. The heavens didn't fall for so many days.”
The ACMM had on February 17 granted a day's exemption from physical appearance to the Chief Minister in connection with the first complaint filed by the ED on the same issue. The second complaint pertains to "CM Kejriwal not abiding by the summons No. 4 to 8", a source said.
The AAP Convenor had earlier requested the financial probe agency for a date after March 12 for questioning in the excise policy matter. His response came after the ED issued summons to him for the eighth time on February 27, and asked him to appear before it on March 4.
ACMM Malhotra had taken cognisance of the first complaint on February 7. The judge had said, "Summons are being issued to him to appear on February 17."
The ED, on January 31, issued summons to CM Kejriwal for the fifth time, and he was told to appear before it on February 2. The financial probe agency's complaint alleged that the Chief Minister intentionally did not want to obey the summons and kept on making "lame excuses".
"If a high-ranking public functionary like him disobeys the law, it would set a wrong example for the common man," the agency had said.
Pak plans to give Rs 14 crore to Masood Azhar from public funds: Rajnath Singh
Addressing troops at a military base in Gujarat's Bhuj, Rajnath Singh claimed that the Pakistan government intended to give Rs 14 crore to Masood Azhar, the UN-designated terrorist and chief of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).
India's GDP growth in Q4 of 2024-25 expected at 6.8-7 per cent: Report
The Indian economy is expected to grow at 6.8-7 per cent in the fourth quarter of the financial year 2024-25, driven by the agriculture sector, according to a Bank of Baroda report released on Friday.
BJP, Congress welcome govt's move to send multi-party MP delegations abroad on Pahalgam attack
The Narendra Modi-led government's planned diplomatic initiative of sending multi-party MP delegations to major world capitals to expose Pakistan’s role in the recent Pahalgam terror attack and to rally global support against cross-border terrorism has won support from both the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress.
Operation Sindoor reflects PM Modi’s resolve, seamless intelligence, and armed forces’ power: HM Amit Shah
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday lauded ‘Operation Sindoor’, India’s counterstrike in response to the deadly Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives, as a defining moment in the nation’s evolving security architecture.
Operation Sindoor: 48-member multi-party MP delegations to launch India's global diplomatic blitz from May 22
In a massive diplomatic push, the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has decided to dispatch multi-party MP delegations to key world capitals to expose Pakistan's hand in the recent Pahalgam terror attack and to build global support against cross-border terrorism.
Priority given to development of border villages in North Eastern states: Union MoS Dr. L Murugan
The Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting and Parliamentary Affairs Dr. L Murugan on Thursday arrived here at Agartala on a two-day visit to the state and laid emphasis on proper implementation of the flagship programmes of the Prime Minister.
MHA sanctioned another Tripura State Rifles battalion: CM Saha
An official of the Tripura Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said that the decision to create another TSR battalion was taken based on Chief Minister Manik Saha's proposal placed before Union Home Minister Amit Shah during his recent meeting in New Delhi.
CM Dr Manik Saha seeks support from DoNER ministry for AIMS in Tripura
Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha on Thursday attended the second meeting of the High-Level Task Force on Investment Promotion in the North Eastern Region chaired by the DoNER Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and sought support of the ministry for establishment of AIMS in Tripura.