Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today skipped a seventh summons by the investigating agency Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case related to the excise policy issue in Delhi.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) urged the ED to respect the legal process and await the court's decision instead of repeatedly issuing summons to Mr Kejriwal. The party claims that the multiple summons to the Chief Minister are unfounded.
“The matter is currently before the courts, with the next hearing scheduled for March 16. Instead of issuing daily summons, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) should exercise patience and wait for the court's decision,” the AAP said.
This was the seventh time that Mr. Kejriwal was summoned by the investigating agency in connection with the case. Earlier this month, the agency moved the case to the municipal court after Mr. Kejriwal skipped several summons related to the investigation.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and ED are probing the Delhi government's now scrapped excise policy for 2021-2022, which is alleged to have benefited certain liquor traders. The AAP has strongly denied the allegations. Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena recommended a CBI probe into alleged irregularities in the policy after receiving a report from the Chief Secretary of the Delhi government.
Mr Kejriwal was questioned by the CBI for nine hours in April in connection with the case. AAP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi Manish Sisodia was arrested by the CBI in February this year.