CM Arvind Kejriwal Skips 4th ED Summons, Calls Them ‘Illegal’
CM Arvind Kejriwal of Delhi chose not to appear for questioning at the ED’s headquarters in the excise policy case, defying the agency’s fourth summons. Instead, Kejriwal departed for Goa, labeling the summonses as illegal since he was not named as an accused in the case.
Kejriwal’s non-appearance is viewed as evasive and uncooperative, potentially warranting his arrest. The agency may approach the court to demand custodial interrogation. In the past, Kejriwal had avoided visiting the ED office on the grounds of being busy with the assembly elections in November, attending a pre-booked Vipassana retreat in December, and preparing for Republic Day and the upcoming parliamentary elections.
Accusing the ED of attempting to prevent him from campaigning in the polls, Kejriwal stated that the summonses lacked legal standing and had been rejected by courts previously. He also mentioned that the agency had found nothing substantial during its two-year-long probe, while allegations were being extracted from people through physical violence.
The fourth summons from the ED required Kejriwal to be available for recording his statement in the excise policy scam case on January 18 or 19. However, the CM, as he had done in the past, informed the agency of his inability to participate in the probe and sought clarification regarding the capacity in which he was being called.
Prior to this development, ED sources had cited their assurance to the Supreme Court of concluding the investigations within six months. The assurance was given during the bail hearing of Kejriwal’s senior colleague and former deputy CM of Delhi, Manish Sisodia, in October last year. At the time, the Supreme Court had raised questions about why the role of the AAP leadership had not been examined when the alleged bribes from the liquor cartel were reportedly used during the Goa polls. Consequently, the ED had revealed its intention to shift the focus of the investigation towards AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal.
As the situation unfolds, it remains to be seen how the legal battle between CM Kejriwal and the Enforcement Directorate progresses.
