Delhi Liquor Policy Case: ED Summons CM Arvind Kejriwal For Questioning On Dec 21

The ED has asked Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to appear for questioning in connection with the Delhi Liquor Policy case on December 21.

File Photo of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal

Source : PTI

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday summoned Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal again for questioning in connection with the Delhi Liquor Policy case. The agency has asked him to appear before it on December 21. Previously, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal did not appear before the agency on November 2. Instead, Kejriwal wrote to the ED, challenging the summons, which he termed "illegal, politically motivated" and an attempt to hinder his campaigning in the poll-bound states. 

In his letter to the ED, Kejriwal demanded the "recall" of the summons, describing it as "vague, motivated, and unsustainable in law", news agency PTI reported.

The ED had summoned Kejriwal to record his statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in the case related to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy. Kejriwal's party colleagues, Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh, are currently in judicial custody in connection with the same case.

Delhi Liquor Policy Case: CM Kejriwal On Nov 2 ED Summon

Kejriwal, in his reply to the ED, had alleged that the summons were sent for "extraneous considerations at the behest of the BJP." He claimed that the notice was "leaked" to BJP leaders before its issuance and was part of an orchestrated effort to tarnish his image.

The Delhi Chief Minister argued that the summons lacked clarity regarding the capacity in which he was being summoned, whether as a witness or a suspect. He accused the ED of engaging in a "fishing and roving" exercise and stated that the notice did not specify whether he was being summoned as an individual or in his official capacity as the chief minister of Delhi or as the national convenor of AAP.

Kejriwal pointed out that BJP leaders particularly MP Manoj Tiwari had made statements predicting his summons and arrest before he received the notice. He asserted that the timing of the statements and the summons indicated a coordinated effort to malign his reputation.

The chief minister highlighted his official commitments and the recent Assembly polls in multiple states as reasons for not appearing before the ED. He urged the ED to recall the summons in light of these considerations.

The case revolves around allegations that the Delhi government's excise policy for 2021-22 facilitated cartelisation and favored certain liquor traders who had allegedly paid bribes. The AAP has consistently denied these charges.

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