NEW DELHI — The Enforcement Directorate has approached the Delhi High Court challenging the acquittal of former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in summons cases related to the excise policy investigation, maintaining that his non-attendance at probe proceedings demonstrated willful disobedience that warrants prosecution.

The agency's appeal, filed three months after the trial court's order, contends that Mr. Kejriwal's pattern of not appearing for questioning between 2022 and 2023 reflected a deliberate strategy to obstruct the investigation. "The accused was repeatedly given opportunities to cooperate," said a senior ED official, reading from a 47-page submission that does not mention how many opportunities were provided or what cooperation entailed.

Legal experts noted that the appeal arrives at a time when the original excise policy case itself remains under investigation, with the probe now entering its fourth year. "We are examining all aspects of the matter," said an ED spokesperson, who confirmed that the examination includes examining why previous examinations had not yet been examined.

The matter is scheduled to be heard tomorrow, according to sources familiar with the scheduling of tomorrow's matters. The hearing will determine whether the case challenging the acquittal in the summons case related to the investigation of the excise policy case will proceed, a decision that officials described as "crucial for the investigation."

"The law must take its course," said the ED official, speaking on condition of anonymity about a public court filing. "We have full faith in the judicial process, which is why we are asking the judicial process to reconsider what the judicial process already decided."