Delhi: The Enforcement Directoriate (ED) has summoned Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on January 18 amid the ongoing investigation of the Excise Policy Scam. Kejriwal has been summoned for the fourth time now by the investigating agency as he skipped the summons thrice earlier.
Kejriwal Skipped ED's Summons Recently
Kejriwal earlier evaded a summons from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) related to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam case on January 3. The ED had initially issued the third summons on December 22, 2023, requesting Kejriwal's presence for questioning.
In response, reports citing sources from Kejriwal's party revealed that the Chief Minister expressed his willingness to cooperate with the investigation but refused to appear on the scheduled date, terming the notice as 'illegal.' Kejriwal also raised suspicions about the timing of the summons, suggesting it could be a strategic move to hinder his election campaign for the upcoming parliamentary elections in 2024.
AAP Ministers Claim Kejriwal Might Get Arrested
Delhi ministers Atishi and Saurabh Bhardwaj, late on Jan 3, claimed citing unnamed inputs that the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) is likely to arrest Chief Minister and AAP convener, Arvind Kejriwal, on Jan 4.
Taking to the social media platform X on Jan 3, AAP leader and Delhi's Law and PWD Minister, Atishi, said, "News coming in that ED is going to raid@ArvindKejriwal's residence tomorrow morning. Arrest likely."
Minutes after Atishi's post, Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj also posted on X, claiming speculations about Kejriwal's arrest by the ED.
"It is heard that tomorrow morning, ED is going to reach the house of Chief Minister Kejriwal and arrest him," Bharadwaj said in his post on Jan 3.
Previous Summons & Allegations
This is not the first instance of Kejriwal avoiding ED summons. Initially summoned on November 2, 2023, he had declined to depose, alleging that the notice was 'vague, motivated and unsustainable in law.' Kejriwal went on to accuse the summons of being politically motivated and issued for extraneous considerations.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) echoed Kejriwal's concerns about the timing of the ED notice, stressing its proximity to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The party questioned the intent behind the summons, suggesting a possible political motive behind the timing.
