Premium
This is an archive article published on February 17, 2024

Excise policy case: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal appears before court via video-conferencing

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said he could not appear before the court physically due to the confidence motion and Budget session in the Assembly. He was summoned after he skipped the ED summons for the fifth time.

KejriwalDelhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal (PTI)

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday appeared before a Delhi court through video-conferencing in the excise policy case, saying that he could not appear physically due to the confidence motion and Budget session in the Assembly.

The Delhi court had summoned Kejriwal to appear before it after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed a complaint against him after he skipped its fifth summons in the case.

Representing Kejriwal, senior advocate Ramesh Gupta moved an application, seeking the Chief Minister’s exemption from personal appearance. The counsel also said that Kejriwal may appear physically on the next date of hearing.

The matter has now been listed for March 16.

On Friday, Kejriwal had moved a motion of confidence in the Assembly , alleging a conspiracy to destabilise his AAP-led government in Delhi. The Assembly discussed the motion on Saturday.

Tabling the motion, Kejriwal said on Saturday, “A few days ago, two MLAs came to me and said that they had been approached by the BJP and were told that we are going to arrest your chief minister in a few days… That we have already contacted and convinced 21 MLAs to leave the party… We are also in touch with others.”

Speaker Ram Niwas Goel admitted the motion for a discussion at 11 am on Saturday.

In August 2022, Kejriwal had won a similar confidence vote, which he moved after accusing the BJP of trying to poach AAP MLAs under ‘Operation Lotus’.

Story continues below this ad

On February 3, a day after Kejriwal skipped its summons for the fifth time, the ED had filed a complaint before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Divya Malhotra under Criminal Procedure Code sections 190 and 200 for not complying with the agency’s summons issued under Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) Section 50 (power to issue summons) and not joining the investigation.

Nirbhay Thakur is a Senior Correspondent with The Indian Express who primarily covers district courts in Delhi and has reported on the trials of many high-profile cases since 2023. Professional Background Education: Nirbhay is an economics graduate from Delhi University. Beats: His reporting spans the trial courts, and he occasionally interviews ambassadors and has a keen interest in doing data stories. Specializations: He has a specific interest in data stories related to courts. Core Strength: Nirbhay is known for tracking long-running legal sagas and providing meticulous updates on high-profile criminal trials. Recent notable articles In 2025, he has written long form articles and two investigations. Along with breaking many court stories, he has also done various exclusive stories. 1) A long form on Surender Koli, accused in the Nithari serial killings of 2006. He was acquitted after spending 2 decades in jail. was a branded man. Deemed the “cannibal" who allegedly lured children to his employer’s house in Noida, murdered them, and “ate their flesh” – his actions cited were cited as evidence of human depravity at its worst. However, the SC acquitted him finding various lapses in the investigation. The Indian Express spoke to his lawyers and traced the 2 decades journey.  2) For decades, the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has been at the forefront of the Government’s national rankings, placed at No. 2 over the past two years alone. It has also been the crucible of campus activism, its protests often spilling into national debates, its student leaders going on to become the faces and voices of political parties of all hues and thoughts. The Indian Express looked at all court cases spanning over two decades and did an investigation. 3) Investigation on the 700 Delhi riots cases. The Indian Express found that in 17 of 93 acquittals (which amounted to 85% of the decided cases) in Delhi riots cases, courts red-flag ‘fabricated’ evidence and pulled up the police. Signature Style Nirbhay’s writing is characterized by its procedural depth. He excels at summarizing 400-page chargesheets and complex court orders into digestible news for the general public. X (Twitter): @Nirbhaya99 ... Read More

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram

Latest Comment
Post Comment
Read Comments
Advertisement
Loading Taboola...
Advertisement