ED summons Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal for fourth time in excise policy case

NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) issued its fourth summons to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday for questioning into the alleged Delhi excise policy case. He has been asked to appear before the central probe agency on January 18, sources said.

The summon comes after the Delhi Chief Minister refused to depose before the ED for the third time on January 3.

The ED issued a third summons to CM Kejriwal on December 22 last year, in connection with the alleged Delhi liquor scam case, asking him to appear before the agency on January 3.

Delhi CM was earlier summoned by the ED in connection with an excise policy case on December 18, asking him to appear before the central agency for questioning on December 21.

The Delhi CM was first called by the central agency to appear on November 2, but he did not depose, alleging that the notice was "vague, motivated and unsustainable in law." After skipping the third summons of the investigating agency Kejriwal, in his reply to the ED, expressed his readiness to cooperate with the investigation but declined to appear on the summoned date, calling the notice "illegal."

Kejriwal further questioned the agency for not responding to his earlier replies when the summons was sent to him and he had raised certain queries on the nature of the agency's investigation.

In his written reply to the ED, the Delhi CM said "As a premier investigating agency the non-disclosure and non-response approach adopted by you cannot sustain the test of law, equity, or justice. Your obstinacy is tantamount to assuming the role of judge, jury, and executioner at the same time which is not acceptable in our country governed by the rule of law."

Delhi Chief Minister was also summoned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in April this year, in connection with the case. However, Kejriwal was not named as an accused in the first information report (FIR) filed by the CBI on August 17, last year.

In February 2023, Arvind Kejriwal's Deputy Manish Sisodia was arrested by the CBI for alleged irregularities in the framing and implementation of the now-scrapped Delhi's new excise policy. The policy was withdrawn amid allegations of foul play by the opposition.