ED issues 7th summons to CM Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi excise policy probe

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued fresh summons to Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, asking him to appear before the agency on February 26 in connection with its investigation into a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in the Delhi excise police 2021-22, people familiar with the matter said on Thursday.
This is the seventh time Kejriwal has been summoned in connection with the case. He has skipped the previous six summons — on November 2 and December 22 last year, and on January 3, January 18, February 2 and February 19 — calling them “illegal and politically motivated”.
Senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Delhi minister Atishi hit out and accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Centre of using the agency to intimidate Kejriwal.
The federal agency moved the Rouse Avenue court in Delhi on February 3 with a complaint over Kejriwal repeatedly skipping its summons. The court on Saturday granted Kejriwal an exemption from personally appearing in the case till March 16.
Kejriwal appeared before the court virtually, submitting that he could not physically appear due to the Budget session of the Delhi Assembly and the confidence motion in the House.
ED’s findings that AAP benefited directly are expected to be used by ED when it names the party in its next charge sheet.
The officials cited above said Kejriwal needs to be questioned to unearth more information about the alleged bribes that the AAP and other people involved in the excise policy received and reportedly used for election campaigns.
The agency has claimed that AAP leaders were paid bribes of ₹100 crore in connection with the 2021-22 excise policy, which was implemented in November 2021 but scrapped months later after Delhi lieutenant governor VK Saxena recommended a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into alleged irregularities in the new regime.
The policy was aimed to revitalise the city’s flagging liquor business and replace a sales volume-based regime with a license fee for traders. It promised swankier stores and a better buying experience. The policy introduced discounts and offers on the purchase of liquor for the first time in Delhi.
In one of its six charge sheets, ED claimed that the excise policy was Kejriwal’s “brainchild”, though he has not been named as an accused in any of them.
The AAP called Thursday’s summons illegal.
“ED has sent the seventh illegal summons…Kejriwal responded and raised legal questions based on the summons, but ED has not replied to the questions,” she said, referring to the chief minister’s allegations that the summons are illegal.
She asked why the agency was not willing to wait until the validity of the summons was decided in court and alleged that the BJP was using the summons as retribution after the Supreme Court overturned the results of the Chandigarh mayoral election and declared the AAP candidate the winner.
“The summons are just a tool to intimidate Kejriwal. After the Chandigarh victory, we came to know that the BJP [Bharatiya Janata Party] was going to retaliate through ED.”