Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will not make an appearance before the Enforcement Directorate on Monday concerning the alleged Delhi excise policy scam-linked money laundering probe. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has emphasized that the agency should await the court order instead of repeatedly issuing summonses.
This marks the seventh instance where Kejriwal has chosen to forego the ED summons. Despite the agency’s issuance of the seventh summons to the chief minister last week for questioning, Kejriwal has consistently opted out, branding the summonses as “illegal.” He has previously communicated with the ED, urging the withdrawal of these summonses.
In an official statement, the AAP declared that the chief minister will abstain from appearing before the ED. The matter regarding the validity of ED summons is scheduled for a hearing on March 16 in a Delhi court. The AAP urges the agency to await the court’s decision rather than persisting with repeated summonses.
The ED, while issuing the seventh summons, rebuffed claims that a fresh notice for Kejriwal’s attendance was inappropriate due to the matter being sub-judice before a local court.
Previously, the Enforcement Directorate had issued Arvind Kejriwal six summonses. Initially, on November 2, 2023, he missed the summons, citing a scheduled roadshow alongside Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh.
The second summons was issued on November 21, but Kejriwal skipped it, explaining that he needed to partake in a 10-day Vipassana meditation course.
Subsequent summonses were issued on January 3, 2024, January 18, and February 2. Kejriwal declined all these summonses, asserting their “illegal” and “politically motivated” nature.
He received the sixth summons on February 19, yet again opting to skip it, reiterating that the matter is now under judicial purview.