Kejriwal Gets 3rd Summons From ED In Delhi Excise Policy Case

The Enforcement Directorate issued its third summon to Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, requiring his appearance on January 3, according to news agency ANI.

Failure to comply with this third summons could prompt the Enforcement Directorate to pursue a non-bailable warrant against the AAP chief.

Earlier, Kejriwal was summoned on December 21 but chose to forego attending the ED session, heading instead to Punjab for a 10-day vipassana camp.

Earlier interactions saw Kejriwal skipping the ED summons, terming them as "vague, motivated, and legally unsustainable." He preferred conducting an election roadshow in Madhya Pradesh in response to a summons on November 2.

Questioning the legality of the summon, Kejriwal urged the ED to retract it, citing political motives aimed at hindering his election campaigning in four states.

The ED probe revolves around allegations concerning the Delhi government's excise policy for 2021-22, accusing it of favoring specific liquor traders and fostering cartelization, an accusation refuted by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The policy was eventually scrapped, leading the Delhi lieutenant governor to recommend a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry, resulting in the ED registering a case under the PMLA.

Kejriwal is the fifth AAP leader embroiled in legal controversies, following Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain, Sanjay Singh, and Raaj Kumar Anand, who was also raided in early November. Currently, Sisodia and Singh are under arrest in connection with the Delhi liquor policy case.

It was announced that Kejriwal would embark on a 10-day Vipassana meditation course on December 19 at an undisclosed location, as per Delhi government officials.