ED Sends 6th Summons To Delhi CM Kejriwal, Asks To Appear For Questioning On Feb 19

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has sent a sixth summons to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, asking him to appear for questioning on Feb 19.

File Photo of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued a fresh summons to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in connection with a money laundering case linked to the excise policy. This marks the sixth summons issued to the 55-year-old leader, who also serves as the national convener of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Kejriwal has been asked to appear before the federal agency on February 19.

The summons comes in the wake of a Delhi court's directive issued last week, directing Kejriwal to appear before it on February 17. The court acted upon a complaint filed by the ED, citing non-compliance with previous summons. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Divya Malhotra, presiding over the case, noted that the AAP chief was legally obligated to comply with the summons, news agency PTI reported.

This latest summons adds to a series of previous ones issued by the ED. Kejriwal had been summoned on dates including February 2, January 18, January 3 of this year, and December 21 and November 2 in 2023. Throughout these proceedings, the Chief Minister has consistently denounced the notices as illegal.

ED Complaint Against Delhi CM Kejriwal Over Non-Compliance

The Delhi Chief Minister's legal woes deepened as a local court issued a summons to appear before it on February 17, responding to the ED's complaint regarding Kejriwal's alleged non-compliance with previous summonses.

According to news agency IANS, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Divya Malhotra, presiding over the case, affirmed the court's cognisance of the complaint, stating, "summons are being issued to him to appear on February 17." 

Earlier, In a statement, the AAP reiterated its stance, asserting, "Delhi CM and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal will not appear before ED today as well. The party calls the summon 'unlawful'." The party further accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of orchestrating a political vendetta against Kejriwal and the Delhi Government, vowing to resist any attempts to destabilize their administration.