Arvind Kejriwal withdraws plea against ED summons in excise policy case

The Delhi High Court on Thursday permitted AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal to withdraw his petition challenging the summonses issued to him by the ED in connection with its probe into an excise policy-linked money laundering case.

Senior counsel appearing for the former Delhi chief minister said he did not wish to pursue the matter further as he had already been acquitted in the criminal cases against him for failing to appear before the agency in pursuance of the summonses.

Additional Solicitor General S V Raju, appearing for the Enforcement Directorate (ED), said the agency will file an appeal against the decision of the trial court.

"Much water has flown.. I will not press the petition. I will take the constitutional pleas at an appropriate stage," Kejriwal's senior lawyer said.

"Accordingly, the petition is dismissed as withdrawn", a bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia said.

The bench clarified that all the legal pleas in the petition were kept open.

On Ja