A new summons issued by the ED to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is an attempt by the BJP to exact "revenge" for the Supreme Court's decision in the Chandigarh mayoral election in favour of the AAP, party leader Atishi claimed on Thursday. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had no immediate reaction to the allegations.
During a press conference held at the Delhi Assembly, Atishi said that the ED's summons was intended to intimidate both Kejriwal and the AAP. The ED's seventh summons instructs Kejriwal to appear before the agency on February 26 for questioning in connection to a money-laundering case related to the now-repealed excise policy for Delhi in 2021-22, news agency PTI reported citing sources on Thursday.
Kejriwal has refused to comply with the ED's summonses, deeming them "illegal".
Atishi argued, "This summons is just an attempt at revenge by the BJP for the Supreme Court upholding democracy in its verdict on the Chandigarh mayoral poll. This is a revenge for the AAP's victory in the Chandigarh mayoral poll".
Earlier this week, a Supreme Court bench, led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, overturned the outcome of the Chandigarh mayoral poll, declaring the AAP-Congress alliance nominee, Kuldeep Kumar, as the new mayor, overturning the initial victory of the BJP candidate.
Atishi questioned why the ED took the matter to court over Kejriwal's non-compliance without waiting for the court's decision. The ED has filed a case at the Rouse Avenue Court, directing Kejriwal to appear before it on March 16.
Atishi emphasised that the AAP and Kejriwal remain undeterred by the ED summonses and will persist in their fight against the BJP to safeguard the nation's democracy.
The Enforcement Directorate has issued a total of seven summonses to Kejriwal, who has thus far evaded all previous appearances. Earlier this week, the AAP argued that the agency should have awaited the court's decision on its complaint against Kejriwal for disregarding the summonses.
The Supreme Court, in its ruling, deemed eight votes cancelled by the presiding officer Anil Masih as valid and ordered a recount. Additionally, it instructed the prosecution of Masih for defacing valid votes. The annulment of these eight votes paved the way for the victory of BJP candidate Manoj Sonkar, who resigned shortly before the Supreme Court's decision.
Kejriwal expressed gratitude to the Supreme Court, saying, "We thank the Supreme Court... dictatorship is going on in the country... democracy is being trampled upon, all institutions are being trampled upon. In such times, this ruling by the SC is very important for democracy and to save democracy. It's a very important decision".