New Delhi:
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has received a sixth summons from the Enforcement Directorate, sources told NDTV on Wednesday evening. Mr Kejriwal has been asked to appear for questioning on Monday in connection with the alcohol excise policy case in the national capital.
Mr Kejriwal has skipped the five previous summons, triggering a court battle with the probe agency and raising the prospect that the Aam Aadmi Party boss will be the first sitting prime minister to be arrested.
The sixth summons from the ED – which is investigating allegations of money laundering – comes a week after a Delhi court ordered Mr Kejriwal to appear on Saturday and explain why he has skipped the summons so far.
The AAP, which claims that Mr Kejriwal is being targeted by the BJP ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, welcomed the order; party sources told NDTV “we will tell the court how the summons is illegal”.
READ | Kejriwal summoned by the Delhi High Court following a complaint by the investigating agency
Mr Kejriwal dismissed the fifth summons on February 2. He skipped another on January 31, and three others – on January 19, December 21 and November 2. The AAP leader cited several reasons, apart from the illegality of the ED's notices, including campaigning. for the elections in Madhya Pradesh.
READ | Arvind Kejriwal skips fifth summons, AAP claims plan to arrest him
Mr Kejriwal has been questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation; this was in April. So far he is not a suspect. “The CBI has asked 56 questions (but) everything is fake. I am convinced that they do not have a single piece of evidence,” he had said.
However, two senior AAP members, including former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, have been arrested. Mr Sisodia was arrested in February last year and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh in October.
The case has sparked a bitter row between the AAP, which is in power in Delhi and Punjab, and the Bharatiya Janata Party, which is in power at the Centre.
Last week, Union Minister Anurag Thakur attacked Mr Kejriwal, saying that the person who had raised his voice against corruption – a reference to his early days as an anti-corruption activist – was now stuck in the “quicksand of corruption”. He hit back, saying he would open as many schools in the city as subpoenas were served on him; “We will build as many schools as possible… you do your religion, we do ours,” he said on X.
READ | “AAP is not afraid of threats”: Atishi attacks BJP after ED raids
Delhi Minister Atishi has also spoken out, criticizing the ED after raids on the homes of AAP members and accused the Center of “scaring and silencing” the party with the help of investigative agencies.
What is the case for Delhi alcohol excise policy?
The case refers to allegations that the AAP government's revamped alcohol sales policy enabled it to receive crores in kickbacks from cartels, and that these funds were used to finance polls in Goa and other states.
NDTV explains | What is a liquor policy case in Delhi linked to Kejriwal's AAP?
Specifically, both the ED and CBI have alleged that the policy enabled cartelization and favored certain dealers, who paid bribes for liquor sales licenses.
The AAP has strongly refuted all allegations. The Delhi government reported a 27 percent increase in revenue from the policy, generating Rs 8,900 crore in revenue. The party has also accused the BJP of manipulating the organization to target it.
NDTV is now available on WhatsApp channels. Click on the link to get the latest updates from NDTV in your chat.