ED Sends Sixth Summon To Arvind Kejriwal In Delhi Liquor Scam Case

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has been issued a sixth summons by the Enforcement Directorate, according to sources informed on Wednesday evening. The summons requests his appearance on Monday for questioning regarding the liquor excise policy case in the national capital.

ED Sends Sixth Summon To Arvind Kejriwal

Mr. Kejriwal has opted not to comply with the five previous summons, sparking a legal showdown with the probe agency and raising the possibility of him becoming the first sitting chief minister to face arrest. This latest summons from the ED, which is investigating money laundering charges, comes just a week after a Delhi court directed Mr. Kejriwal to appear on Saturday and provide an explanation for his previous non-compliance.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), asserting that Mr. Kejriwal is being targeted by the BJP ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha election, has welcomed the court’s order, according to party sources.

Mr. Kejriwal disregarded the fifth summons on February 2, as well as previous ones on January 31, January 19, December 21, and November 2. Various reasons, including campaigning for the Madhya Pradesh election, were cited by the AAP leader in defense against these summons, in addition to challenging the legality of the ED’s notices.

While Mr. Kejriwal has been questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation in April, he has not been accused thus far. He dismissed the CBI’s interrogation, stating that the agency’s questions were baseless and lacked evidence.

Manish Sisodia

However, two senior AAP members, including former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, have been arrested. Mr. Sisodia was arrested in February last year, followed by Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh in October.

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The case revolves around allegations that the AAP government’s revised alcohol sales policy facilitated kickbacks from cartels, which were purportedly used to finance electoral expenses in Goa and other states. Both the ED and the CBI allege that the policy led to cartelization and favored certain dealers who paid bribes for liquor sale licenses.

The AAP vehemently denies all accusations, citing a reported 27 percent increase in income from the policy, generating ₹8,900 crore in revenue for the Delhi government. Additionally, the party accuses the BJP of orchestrating the agency’s actions to target them.