Delhi chief minister Kejriwal ignores 7th ED summons

Delhi Chief Minister and convener of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Arvind Kejriwal skipped the seventh summons from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday. This summons was related to the ongoing money laundering investigation tied to purported irregularities in the Delhi excise policy for the year 2021-22. The Aam Aadmi Party says that that the ED should await for a court order instead of persistently issuing summons to the Delhi CM.

The ED had issued the latest summons to Kejriwal, instructing him to appear on February 26. However, Kejriwal had been consistently avoiding interrogation since November 2 of the previous year, when he was initially asked to testify before the probe agency.

Subsequent summons were issued on December 18, January 3, January 18, February 2, and February 19, all of which Kejriwal skipped, labeling them as illegal. Simultaneously, the ED filed a complaint against Kejriwal for “disobeying” its summons in connection with the money laundering case.

The Delhi government had introduced an excise policy for 2021-22 with the goal of rejuvenating the city’s struggling liquor industry. This policy aimed to replace the sales-volume-based regime with a license fee for traders, promising upgraded stores without metal grilles to enhance the customer buying experience. However, the policy was nullified after Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena called for a CBI probe, alleging irregularities.

According to the ED, the AAP, led by Kejriwal, received kickbacks amounting to Rs 100 crore to finalize the excise policy. It was further alleged that a significant portion of this money was utilized in the party’s election campaign in Goa. To date, the ED has arrested prominent AAP leaders, including former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, in connection with the case.

Manish Sisodia is in jail for more than a year now as his bail applications have been rejected at multiple occasions. Delhi CM Kejriwal blames the BJP for vendetta politics. He was in a controversy after his retweeted a video by social media influencer and Youtuber Dhruv Rathee.

आज मनीष सिसोदिया को BJP सरकार पिछले 1 साल से जेल में रखे हुए है, मनीष जी का कुसूर सिर्फ़ इतना था कि उन्होंने ग़रीबों के बच्चों को अच्छी शिक्षा दिलाकर उनका भविष्य संवारने का काम किया। वो एक सच्चे देशभक्त की तरह अन्याय के ख़िलाफ़ लड़ रहे हैं और हम सबकी प्रेरणा बने हैं। pic.twitter.com/iim1xkjkMI
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) February 26, 2024