Arvind Kejriwal questions intent of ED summons in excise policy case: 'Maintaining unwarranted secrecy'

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal wrote to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday, questioning the intent of the summons served to him by the investigative agency in connection with the Excise Policy case. He even sought a questionnaire from the ED.  “…I would be happy to respond to any questionnaire if you seek any information/ document which are in my knowledge/possession,” the chief minister said in the letter.

Kejriwal, who skipped ED summons thrice, said the Rajya Sabha elections are to take place on January 19 and he also has to participate in the Republic Day programme on January 26 as Delhi's chief minister.

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"Being the national convener of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), I am held up in the process and run up to these critical elections..."Being the Chief Minister of Delhi, I am also quite occupied in planning and preparations for several programmes and functions for the Republic Day," Kejriwal said.

ED ‘maintaining secrecy’

The Delhi chief minister accused the ED of “maintaining secrecy” and not responding to his earlier replies. He said the ED issued the summons "in the same format as before" without giving any response to his earlier replies. "Therefore, I assume that you do not have any valid reason or justification for issuance of this summons," he said.

Kejriwal said the ED refused to "even acknowledge" the receipt of the details submissions made in response to the summons issued to him. "I am in the know of several cases where the Directorate of Enforcement has given details explanation and\or response to any of the queries raised or apprehensions nursed by a person who may have been issued summons...."

 "Your silence on the aforementioned critical aspects leads me to infer that you are maintaining unwarranted secrecy and are being opaque and arbitrary in the present matter," Kejriwal said.

Further, he urged the ED to respond to his earlier replies and "clarify the position so as to enable me to understand the real intent, ambit, nature, sweep and scope of the purported inquiry/investigation for which I am being called," he wrote in the letter shared by news agency ANI.

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'Act as per law'

Kejriwal then hoped that the ED  would “act as per the law”. He said, "In such circumstances, I hope that you shall act as per law by transparently and fairly, considering my objections as raised and indicated in my earlier responses dated" November 2, 2023 and December 20, 2023.

Arvind Kejriwal did not appear before the Enforcement Directorate for questioning in connection with the alleged Delhi liquor scam case, the Aam Aadmi Party sources said on Wednesday.

The ED had issued a third summons to CM Kejriwal earlier on December 22 last year, in connection with the excise policy case, asking him to appear before the agency on January 3. 

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." Kejriwal was issued the second summons by the ED on December 18, asking him to depose at the federal agency's office on December 21, which the chief minister skipped.

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, Deputy CM 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. AAP Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh was also arrested in the same scam in October 2023.