(Mr. Kejriwal underwent questioning for a duration of nine hours by the Central Bureau of Investigation, which took place in April of the previous year. However, he has not been charged as an accused thus far.)
New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has been instructed by a Delhi court to appear on February 17 and provide an explanation for his failure to attend five summons from the Enforcement Directorate. The agency is currently investigating allegations of money laundering related to the liquor excise policy scam case in the national capital.
The Aam Aadmi Party, led by Mr. Kejriwal, has stated that they are “reviewing the court order… and will take appropriate action in accordance with the law.” Party sources have informed NDTV that they will present arguments in court to demonstrate the illegality of the summons.
Last week, the central probe agency lodged a fresh complaint against Mr. Kejriwal for his non-compliance, asserting that as a public servant, he cannot disregard the directives of a government agency. On February 2, the Aam Aadmi Party leader ignored the Enforcement Directorate’s fifth summons.
Mr. Kejriwal has once again chosen to disregard the summons issued to him by the agency, claiming that they are illegal. This is not the first time he has ignored such notices, as he previously skipped summons on November 2, December 21, and January 31. The reason for his non-compliance with the first summons was his involvement in the Madhya Pradesh election campaign, while he cited various prior commitments for the others, including a 10-day meditation retreat.
The party has criticized the actions of the Enforcement Directorate (ED), labeling them as politically motivated. They have also accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of having the sole intention of arresting Mr. Kejriwal and destabilizing the Delhi government.
It is worth noting that Mr. Kejriwal has already been questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for nine hours in relation to this case. However, he has not been named as an accused thus far and has dismissed the CBI’s questions as baseless.
Despite this, two senior members of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), including former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, have been arrested. Mr. Sisodia was arrested in February last year, while Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh was arrested in October.
The case revolves around allegations that the AAP government’s revised alcohol sales policy allowed it to receive significant kickbacks from cartels, which were then used to fund election expenses in Goa and other states. Both the ED and the CBI have claimed that the policy facilitated cartelization and favored specific dealers who paid bribes for liquor sale licenses.
The AAP has vehemently denied all charges and has highlighted that the Delhi government witnessed a 27 percent increase in income from the policy, generating ₹8,900 crore in revenue. The party has also accused the BJP of manipulating the central agency to target them.