‘Floor Test Came Up,’ Shares Arvind Kejriwal To The Court Via Video, Will Appear On March 16

Permission was granted by a Delhi court for Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to physically appear before it on March 16, on Saturday.

This is in connection with the recent complaint filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against him for skipping five summonses in the excise policy case after a debate on a trust motion in the House was cited by him.

Arvind Kejriwal Attends Court Hearing

The sixth summons to Kejriwal was issued by the probe agency on Wednesday.

During a video conferencing session with the court, it was mentioned by the Chief Minister that due to the scheduled discussion on the confidence motion in the Delhi Assembly on that day, he could not physically attend the court session.

He expressed his intention to appear but highlighted the unexpected nature of the confidence motion discussion. Additionally, he noted the ongoing Budget Session until March 1, suggesting that any date after that could be considered for his appearance.

Subsequently, the court scheduled the next physical appearance for Kejriwal at 10 am on March 16.

Kejriwal was required to appear before the court following a complaint filed by the ED on February 3, alleging non-compliance with summonses related to the liquor policy case. The complaint invoked Section 174 of the IPC for non-attendance in obedience to an order from a public servant and Section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

In a move weeks after accusing the BJP of attempting to "poach" AAP MLAs to topple his government in Delhi, Kejriwal initiated a confidence motion in the Delhi Assembly on Friday. During his address to the Assembly, he criticized the BJP-led central government, characterizing the alleged attempt to "poach" his party MLAs as another Operation Lotus.

Regarding the repeated summonses from the ED, Kejriwal has consistently asserted that they constitute "illegal attempts" to arrest him and are aimed at hindering his campaigning efforts for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.