Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has been granted bail by Delhi’s Rouse Avenue court against arrest for skipping probe agency summons in the alleged Delhi excise policy scam. He was asked to furnish a personal bond of Rs 15,000 and a security bond of Rs 1 lakh for the bail.

The Delhi Chief Minister violated Section 174 of the Indian Penal Code – which deals with disobeying a legal order to be at a certain place in person or by agent – when he skipped the Enforcement Directorate’s repeated summons in the alleged Delhi excise policy scam.

The court summoned the AAP chief after the Enforcement Directorate, which wants to question Mr Kejriwal in connection with the Delhi excise policy case, told the court that the Chief Minister skipped eight summons issued under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

Arvind Kejriwal will not have to appear in person for the next hearing of the case on April 1.

Skipping the ED summons, Mr Kejriwal accused the Narendra Modi government of using central agencies to target Opposition leaders.

The ED’s latest summons came late in February and asked the Chief Minister to appear for questioning on March 4. However, Mr Kejriwal, who skipped the “illegal” summons, said he would appear only through video-conferencing.

But the financial probe agency insisted he appears physically and said there is no provision for questioning virtually.

Top AAP leaders – former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh – have been arrested by the ED in a money laundering case relating to Delhi’s now-scrapped excise policy.

Mr Kejriwal’s name cropped up multiple times in the ED’s charge sheets. The agency said that the accused in the case were in touch with the Chief Minister when the excise policy was being drafted.

An Indian-origin couple and their teenage daughter were killed after a “mysterious” fire broke out at their home in Canada’s Ontario province. Police said that incident occurred on March 7, as the bodies were completely burnt and were identified yesterday.

The victims have been identified as 51-year-old Rajiv Warikoo, his wife 47-year-old Shilpa Kotha, and their 16-year-old daughter Mahek Warikoo. They were found dead in their home on Big Sky Way and Van Kirk Drive.

The incident was reported as a residential fire, but after their initial investigation cops said that the fire may not have been accidental. Constable Taryn Young of Peel Police described the fire as “suspicious” and said that they are combing through all evidence available to ascertain the cause.  

“At this time, we are investigating this with our homicide bureau, and we are deeming this as suspicious as the Ontario Fire Marshal has deemed that this fire was not accidental,” Mr Young told news channel CTV.

A fire engulfed a home at the Big Sky Way and Van Kirk Drive area of Brampton on March 7, a press release by the Peel Police said.

Eyewitnesses reported hearing a loud explosion before the inferno engulfed the residence, adding to the puzzling circumstances surrounding the incident. Kenneth Yousaf, a neighbor of the deceased family, recounted the harrowing moment when he witnessed the house fully engulfed in flames.

Yousaf said he was alerted to the fire last week by a family member, who heard a big “bang.” “When we came out, the house was on fire. So sad. Within a few hours, everything was down to the ground,” Yousaf was quoted as saying by CTV.

After the fire was put out, cops located what was believed to be human remains within the gutted house, but the number of people killed couldn’t be ascertained at the time.

“While examining the scene, investigators made an unfortunate discovery when they located what was believed to be human remains within the destroyed house,” police said in a statement.

“Detectives from the Peel Regional Police Homicide Bureau have been working closely with the Office of the Chief Coroner and have identified the remains as belonging to Rajiv Warikoo, age 51, Shilpa Kotha, age 47, and Mahek Warikoo, age 16. All three of the deceased persons resided at the address prior to the fire,” the Peel Police statement added.

Rajiv Warikoo has served as a volunteer in the Toronto Police, and his term had ended in 2016.  

Mahek Warikoo was a promising young teenager who used to play football. Her coach remembered her as an exceptional talent on the field with potential to secure scholarships at prestigious universities across North America.

Cops say investigation into the deaths is still on and urged anyone with information to come forward.

“The circumstances surrounding the house fire remains the focus of an active investigation, and anyone with information or video footage (dashcam or otherwise) is urged to contact Homicide detectives,” police said.

CAA, a hot-button topic in India, is meant to grant citizenship to minority Hindus, Parsis, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and Christians who fled persecution in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh before Dec 31, 2014. Over the last two decades, dozens of Pakistani Hindu refugees have trooped to India in the face of socio-political and religious tensions that left them feeling vulnerable in the Muslim-majority country.