Shruti Suman
Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi, has decided not to go to the Enforcement Directorate’s office today to provide his statement regarding the Delhi liquor policy case, according to sources. Although Mr. Kejriwal was originally scheduled to appear at the central investigative agency’s Delhi office at 11 am, he has written a letter to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) requesting the withdrawal of the summons, which he has termed “illegal and politically motivated.”
The ED is expected to issue new summons to Mr. Kejriwal, who is heading to Madhya Pradesh to campaign for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ahead of the state election.
It’s worth noting that a person can miss ED summons up to three times, after which the ED can issue a non-bailable warrant. The ED can also issue summons under the strict Prevention of Money Laundering Act, or PMLA.
Meanwhile, Mr. Kejriwal has the option to seek pre-arrest bail and challenge the summons in court.
In his letter, Mr. Kejriwal has accused the ED of sending an “illegal and politically motivated” notice, allegedly at the behest of the BJP, the same agency that arrested his former deputy, Manish Sisodia. He has urged the central probe agency to withdraw the notice immediately.
Delhi chief minister Kejriwal’s letter said, “The sent summons does not even specify that whether I am being summoned as an individual or in my official capacity as Chief Minister of Delhi or as National Convenor of AAP and appears to be in the nature of a fishing and roving inquiry.”
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has also alleged that the central government intends to arrest Mr. Kejriwal in a politically motivated case.
The ED’s case against AAP leaders gained momentum after the Supreme Court rejected Manish Sisodia’s bail request concerning a money trail of ₹338 crore, which the court said has been tentatively established. This money is believed to be the earnings of private entities that obtained liquor licenses under the now-defunct policy, which investigators consider as proceeds of crime.
In response to Mr. Kejriwal’s letter to the ED, the BJP has accused the AAP of corruption and suggested that its top leaders should answer questions raised by the court and investigative agencies.
Saurabh Bharadwaj, a Delhi minister, criticized the ED for acting without regard to the rule of law, as it has been summoning individuals without court oversight. He pointed out that even during colonial times, the police needed a warrant to search people, and the ED’s practice of summoning without warrants is concerning.
The top AAP leaders, including Mr. Kejriwal, are facing corruption allegations related to the formulation of a new liquor sale policy, which was scrapped after alleged rule violations were raised by the Delhi chief secretary in July 2022.
If arrested, Mr. Kejriwal would become the third senior AAP leader to be taken into custody in connection with the liquor policy case. Firstly Manish Sisodia was arrested in the month of February, and the aam aadmi party Rajya Sabha MP, Sanjay Singh, met the same fate last month. Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain had also been arrested in a money laundering case last year.
