Arvind Kejriwal, the national convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Delhi’s chief minister, is set to defy the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) summons for the sixth time, citing the summons as “illegal.” The ED has been investigating Kejriwal in connection with alleged irregularities in the Delhi excise policy 2021-22.
The AAP has firmly stated that Kejriwal will not appear before the ED, urging the agency to await the court’s decision instead of continuously issuing summonses. This latest summons is part of the ongoing money laundering probe related to the excise policy case.
Having missed multiple summonses, the ED had approached a city court, which had previously granted Kejriwal an exemption from appearing personally on Saturday. The court had accepted Kejriwal’s counsel’s application citing the ongoing Budget Session of the Delhi assembly, which began on February 15 and will continue until the first week of March.
Kejriwal has committed to appearing physically before the court on the next scheduled hearing date, set for March 16.
This development follows Kejriwal’s failure to appear for the fifth summons on February 2, which the AAP had also deemed “unlawful.” The ED seeks to record Kejriwal’s statement regarding the formulation of the policy, pre-finalization meetings, and allegations of bribery.
The ED’s sixth charge sheet, filed on December 2, 2023, named AAP leader Sanjay Singh and his aide Sarvesh Mishra, alleging that the party utilized kickbacks amounting to ₹45 crore from the policy for its 2022 assembly elections campaign in Goa.
