Arvind Kejriwal has taken a legal stand against the summons issued to him by the additional chief metropolitan magistrate in the Delhi Rouse Avenue Court. He challenged these summons filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for alleged non-compliance with their earlier summons.
Kejriwal’s challenge, presented before special judge Rakesh Syal, is set for argument on Thursday. This move comes after Kejriwal missed eight previous summons by the Enforcement Directorate related to the excise policy case.
The Enforcement Directorate has recently issued another summons for Kejriwal to appear before the court on March 16. Furthermore, on March 7, the ED lodged a second complaint at the Rouse Avenue Court, alleging non-compliance with summons in a suspected money laundering case related to Delhi’s liquor policy.
Kejriwal has consistently asserted that the ED’s summons to him were unjust. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of suppressing opposition parties and destabilizing governments.
In response to the situation, Kejriwal admonished the Prime Minister, stating, “They have sent me so many notices as if I am the biggest terrorist in the country.” He has persistently claimed that the BJP aims to dismantle his party due to its rapid growth and potential to challenge them nationwide.
The Enforcement Directorate seeks to elicit Kejriwal’s statement regarding various aspects of the excise policy case, including its formulation, pre-finalization meetings, and allegations of corruption. In its sixth charge sheet filed on December 2, 2023, the ED implicated AAP leader Sanjay Singh and his associate Sarvesh Mishra, alleging that the AAP utilized kickbacks amounting to ₹45 crore from the policy for its 2022 assembly elections campaign in Goa.
The excise policy was designed to rejuvenate Delhi’s sluggish liquor industry by replacing a sales-volume-based system with a licensing fee for traders. It aimed to enhance the liquor purchasing experience by introducing discounts and offers for the first time in Delhi.