Delhi Excise Policy: ED Issues Third Summons to CM Arvind Kejriwal

The Enforcement Directorate(ED) has issued a third summons to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for questioning on January 3 in the money laundering investigation linked to the excise policy.

The federal agency has rejected Kejriwal’s claim that the summonses were “not in consonance with the law” and should be withdrawn, by issuing a fresh notice under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The agency maintains that the summonses adhered to the PMLA procedures and law, with no special exceptions for any individual under this criminal law.

Considering his official duties and ongoing personal Vipassana meditation session in Punjab, the summonses are issued with a “reasonable time gap,” the sources mentioned.

The chief minister has been directed to appear on January 3 at the agency headquarters in Delhi.

This marks the third notice to Kejriwal, who is also the national convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), following his refusal to appear before the federal agency on two previous summonses issued for November 2 and December 21.

The agency aims to record his statement in the case and may also confront him with “evidences” seized during searches.

Responding to the latest ED summons to Kejriwal, AAP leader and Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj stated that the agency’s action appears more like political posturing by the Centre than a legal process.

In a post on X, Bharadwaj said, “Everyone knows that Hon’ble CM Arvind Kejriwal is in Vipassana. The ED knows well that he can’t be served summons while he is without any communication during 10 days meditation.”

“This summons appears more of a political posturing of the central government than a legal process,” he added.

Previously, Kejriwal alleged that the ED summonses were issued at the behest of political rivals aiming to silence the opposition’s voice in the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

In his reply sent to the ED on Wednesday, the 55-year-old leader stated that the summons did not specify whether he was being called as “a witness or a suspect” or as the “chief minister, Delhi, or the Aam Aadmi Party’s national convener.”

The ED has cited Kejriwal’s name multiple times in its charge sheets filed in the case, asserting that the accused were in contact with him regarding the preparation of the now-scrapped Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22.

The allegation is that the Delhi government’s excise policy for 2021-22, which granted licenses to liquor traders, allowed cartelization and favored certain dealers who had allegedly paid bribes for it, a charge consistently denied by the AAP.

The policy was subsequently scrapped, and the Delhi lieutenant governor recommended a CBI probe, leading to the ED registering a case under the PMLA.