Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has replied to the Enforcement Directorate’s fourth summons issued to him in connection with the Delhi Excise policy case. He asked why the notice had been sent to him just two months before the elections. The federal agency has issued a summons to Kejriwal for the fourth time in a money laundering probe related to irregularities in the Delhi excise policy 2021-22 case. He has been asked to join the investigation on January 18.
In response, Delhi’s Chief Minister said,” This is illegal and invalid in the eyes of law. Whenever such notices were sent, they were quashed by the courts. I have written to ED several times. However, they are not responding. These notices are being sent as part of a political conspiracy. This investigation is on for 2 years and they have not found anything yet.”
“The courts have asked several times if any recovery has been made from anywhere. How much money has been received? People are being beaten and false statements are being taken. Why has the notice been sent to me 2 months before the elections? Because they wanted me to stop campaigning in the Lok Sabha elections. The aim of all this is to stop Kejriwal by any means before the elections,” he said.
Delhi Chief Minister Has Skipped All Three Previous Summons To Him
The fresh summons to Delhi CM follows the third summons which he did not attend last week. Notably, Arvind Kejriwal has so far skipped summons issued by the ED on three occasions on January 3, November 2, and December 22, calling them “illegal and politically motivated.”
The Enforcement Directorate wants to record Kejriwal’s statement in the case on issues like the formulation of policy, the meetings held before it was finalized, and the allegations of bribery around it.
While skipping the third summons issued to him, Kejriwal had termed it “illegal”, saying he was ready to cooperate, but what the agency intended was to arrest him and stop him from election campaigning. There was a strong apprehension following the incident that he would be arrested.
What Was The Now-withdrawn Delhi Excise Policy About?
The Excise Policy case is based on a First Information Report (FIR) alleging multiple irregularities in the formation and implementation of the Delhi excise policy (2021-22) by the Central Bureau of Investigation. The policy has since been withdrawn after allegations of corruption.
The excise policy was aimed to revitalize the city’s flagging liquor business and replace a sales-volume-based regime with a license fee for traders. It aimed at the establishment of swankier stores and a better buying experience. The policy introduced discounts and offers on the purchase of liquor for the first time in Delhi.
Bengali