Arvind Kejriwal to skip ED summons again, terms notice 'illegal'
PTC News Desk: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will yet again skip the Enforcement Directorate's summon for questioning in connection with the alleged Delhi liquor scam case, according to Aam Aadmi Party sources.
On December 22, last year, the ED issued a third summons to CM Kejriwal in connection with the excise policy case, calling him to appear before the agency on January 3.
According to party sources, Kejriwal expressed his willingness to cooperate with the investigation in his response to the ED but declined to appear today, calling the notice "illegal."
According to party sources, Kejriwal questioned the timing of the notice as an attempt to prevent him from campaigning ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections in 2024. The AAP has questioned the notice's timing, which comes just before the 2024 elections.
The Delhi CM was summoned to appear before the central agency on November 2, but he did not appear, claiming that the notice was "vague, motivated, and unsustainable in law."
He also claimed that the summons appeared to be politically motivated and issued for unrelated reasons.
Kejriwal was issued the second summons by the ED on December 18, asking him to depose at the federal agency's office on December 21, which the Chief Minister skipped.
Kejriwal was not named as a suspect in the CBI's first information report (FIR) filed on August 17, last year.
The CBI arrested Deputy CM Manish Sisodia in February 2023 for alleged irregularities in the formulation and implementation of the now-cancelled Delhi's new excise policy. The policy was withdrawn after the opposition accused the administration of wrongdoing. Sanjay Singh, an AAP Rajya Sabha member, was also arrested in the same scam in October 2023.
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