Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has once again missed a scheduled appearance before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday, citing the summons as “illegal.” The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has come to his defense, urging the ED to await a court decision rather than repeatedly summoning Kejriwal.
Kejriwal has now avoided six summonses from the ED in connection with an alleged money laundering case related to the defunct Delhi excise policy. The latest summons, issued on February 14, marks the sixth instance of Kejriwal’s non-compliance.
This pattern includes missed summonses from November 2 and December 21 in 2023, as well as January 3, January 18, and February 2 of this year. Despite this, a Delhi court recently granted Kejriwal exemption from appearing in person for a day, based on an application from his counsel.
According to the application, Kejriwal’s exemption was requested due to the ongoing Budget Session of the Delhi assembly, which began on February 15 and is slated to continue until the first week of March. It further stated that Kejriwal would physically attend the court on the next scheduled hearing date, set for March 16.
The ED has accused Kejriwal of deliberately avoiding compliance with summonses and providing “lame excuses.” The agency asserts that such behavior from a high-ranking public official sets a negative precedent, particularly for the common citizen, or the “Aam Aadmi.”
In response to the summonses, Kejriwal had previously written to the ED, labeling them as “illegal and politically motivated.” He alleged that the summonses were aimed at hindering his election campaigning efforts.
The allegations against Kejriwal stem from the Delhi government’s excise policy for 2021-22, which allegedly facilitated cartelization and favored specific liquor traders who purportedly paid bribes. However, the AAP has consistently denied these accusations.
Following the controversy, the excise policy was scrapped, and Delhi Lt Governor VK Saxena recommended a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe. Subsequently, the ED registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in connection with the matter.
The ongoing saga between Kejriwal, the AAP, and the ED underscores the tensions surrounding governance and allegations of impropriety within the Delhi political landscape.
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