CM Arvind Kejriwal Arrested By ED In Delhi Excise Policy Case

An ED team reached Kejriwal's residence on Thursday evening, hours after the Delhi High Court denied him protection against "coercive action" by the agency in an excise policy case. 

Arvind Kejriwal was summoned for the ninth time by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday in connection to the money laundering case.

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday arrested Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in connection with its probe into a Delhi excise policy scam.

An ED team reached Kejriwal's residence in North Delhi's Civil Lines on Thursday evening, hours after the Delhi High Court denied him protection against "coercive action" by the agency, which has issued multiple summons to him.

He was summoned for the ninth time by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday in connection to the money laundering case.

Reacting to the arrest, Atishi said, "We have moved the Supreme Court for quashing the arrest of Delhi CM by ED. We have asked for an urgent hearing by the Supreme Court tonight itself."

We have moved the Supreme Court for quashing the arrest of Delhi CM @ArvindKejriwal, by ED. We have asked for an urgent hearing by the Supreme Court tonight itself.

— Atishi (@AtishiAAP) March 21, 2024

The ED had issued its first summons to Kejriwal in October last year, the second in December, and the third summon to appear before it for questioning on January 3.

It had summoned him for the fourth time on January 13, asking him to appear before it on January 18, before issuing its fifth summons to Kejriwal, telling him to appear before the agency on February 2.

On February 19, Kejriwal skipped the ED’s sixth summons in connection with the excise policy case. The agency issued the eighth summons to Kejriwal asking him to appear before it on March 4, after he skipped the seventh summons issued on February 22. The ninth summons was scheduled for March 21.

It is alleged that the Delhi government's excise policy for 2021-22 to grant licences to liquor traders allowed cartelisation and favoured certain dealers who had allegedly paid bribes for it, a charge repeatedly refuted by the AAP.

The policy was subsequently scrapped and Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena recommended a CBI probe, following which the ED registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).