Delhi excise scam: CM Arvind Kejriwal granted bail in ED summons case

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has been granted bail by Delhi's Rouse Avenue court against arrest for skipping probe agency summons in the alleged Delhi excise policy scam. He was asked to furnish a personal bond of Rs 15,000 for the bail.

The Delhi Chief Minister appeared before the court following summons issued to him by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the Delhi Excise Policy case. Additional chief metropolitan magistrate (ACMM), Divya Malhotra granted the bail to Mr. Kejriwal.

Mr. Kejriwal violated Section 174 of the Indian Penal Code by skipping the ED's repeated summons in the alleged Delhi excise policy scam. The court summoned him after the ED informed that he skipped eight summons issued under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

Accusing the Narendra Modi government of targeting Opposition leaders, Mr. Kejriwal skipped the "illegal" summons and insisted on appearing only through video-conferencing. However, the ED insisted on his physical appearance, stating there is no provision for virtual questioning.

Top AAP leaders, including former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, have been arrested by the ED in a money laundering case relating to Delhi's now-scrapped excise policy. Mr. Kejriwal's name has appeared multiple times in the ED's charge sheets, indicating his alleged involvement in the case.