Delhi Chief Minister has once again decided to skip the Enforcement Directorate (ED) summons for questioning in connection with the Delhi excise case. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief was asked to appear before the agency on January 3.
The party asserted that Kejriwal was ready to cooperate with the agency but claimed that the summons was sent with the intention of arresting him. In a letter, the party wrote to ED, “Ready to cooperate in ED investigation but the agency’s notice is illegal. They intend to arrest Arvind Kejriwal. They want to stop him from the election campaign.”
— ANI (@ANI) January 3, 2024
This was the third summons issued to Kejriwal by the probe agency. The central agency issued its previous summons on December 18, asking Kejriwal to appear on December 21. However, he decided not to appear before the officials and headed for a 10-day Vipassana meditation camp.
Also Read: ‘Politically motivated, illegal’: Arvind Kejriwal’s reply to ED summons
The first summons was issued in October as part of the ongoing investigation into alleged money laundering linked to the liquor policy, which the Delhi government had withdrawn after facing corruption accusations.
Kejriwal skipped the first two summonses by ED, calling those “illegal” and “politically motivated”.
Since this is the third time that Kejriwal has decided to skip the ED summons, the agency can move to court seeking a non-bailable warrant against him. An individual summoned under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act — which is the case for Kejriwal — can skip an appearance voluntarily thrice.
In April last year, the Delhi Chief Minister was questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the case. However, he has not been named as an accused in the FIR filed by the CBI.
Also Read: Delhi liquor policy case: What next as Arvind Kejriwal skips ED summons?
Senior AAP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and another leader, Sanjay Singh, have been arrested in the same case.
(With inputs from agencies)