Arvind Kejriwal Likely to Attend Court Hearing Today Following Call for Trust Vote

Today, the Delhi Assembly is set to address Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s motion of confidence, a move aimed at showcasing his political strength amidst allegations from his party that the BJP is attempting to entice AAP MLAs.

Simultaneously, Arvind Kejriwal, also the Chief of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), is anticipated to make an appearance before a Delhi court today to clarify his absence during five prior summons issued by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) regarding the liquor policy case.

Kejriwal’s action precedes the ED’s sixth summons scheduled for February 19. Presenting the motion of confidence in the Assembly yesterday, Kejriwal highlighted that two AAP MLAs disclosed being approached by BJP members who asserted that the Delhi chief minister would soon face arrest.

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“The MLAs were informed that 21 AAP legislators had agreed to defect, with more in contact with the BJP. They were offered ₹25 crore to switch sides. However, the MLAs informed me they declined the offer. Upon further inquiry, we discovered only seven MLAs were contacted, as part of another Operation Lotus,” Kejriwal stated.

“I aim to demonstrate that none of our MLAs defected and all remain steadfastly aligned with our party,” he affirmed.

This marks the second instance of the Arvind Kejriwal government seeking a trust vote. The Aam Aadmi Party commands 62 seats in the 70-member Assembly, while the BJP holds eight.

Last week, the court summoned Kejriwal to appear today, asserting that the AAP chief was “legally obligated” to comply.

In its complaint, the ED accused the Delhi chief minister of intentionally evading summons and providing “lame excuses”. The agency expressed concern that disobedience from a high-ranking public official like Kejriwal would set a negative precedent for the public.

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Kejriwal has disregarded five previous summonses, with him and his party repeatedly asserting the illegitimacy of the summonses and claiming the agency’s sole intention is to arrest him.

Speculation regarding Kejriwal’s potential arrest by the ED has been rampant since the issuance of the first summons. The Central Bureau of Investigation alleges involvement of liquor companies in framing the excise policy to secure a 12 percent profit, with kickbacks from a liquor lobby, dubbed the “South Group,” being laundered.

The BJP alleges that the proceeds from the purported scam were utilized by AAP to finance its extensive campaign in Gujarat, where it secured 12.91 percent of the votes and solidified its position as a national party.