HC Issues Notice to Kejriwal on ED Plea Against Acquittal

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued a notice to former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on a plea by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) challenging his acquittal in two cases for allegedly failing to appear before the agency despite summons in the excise (liquor) policy probe .

Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma directed that fresh notices be issued to Kejriwal, noting that he chose not to appear despite prior service , and listed the matter for hearing on April 29, 2026 . The ED had alleged in its trial court complaint that Kejriwal intentionally avoided the summons , raised frivolous objections , and created grounds to evade the probe .

In its earlier decision on January 22 , the trial court had acquitted Kejriwal , stating that the ED failed to prove deliberate disobedience of summons. The agency also alleged that other accused were in touch with Kejriwal to formulate the now-scrapped liquor policy, which allegedly led to undue benefits and kickbacks to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) .

Currently, Kejriwal is on interim bail in a money laundering case , while the Supreme Court has referred questions regarding the “ need and necessity of arrest ” under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to a larger bench for detailed consideration.

In a related case, the trial court had discharged Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, and 21 others on February 27, stating the case lacked merit and was wholly unable to survive judicial scrutiny. The CBI’s plea challenging this discharge is still pending in the High Court .

The upcoming hearing on April 29 will focus on Kejriwal’s response to the ED’s plea challenging his acquittal, which could shape the further course of both the excise policy and related investigations.