Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal skips 7th ED summons in liquor case; matter in court, says party

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has decided to not appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on February 26 for questioning in the money laundering case regarding the the excise policy case. This is the seventh summon in the case issued by the probe agency against the Aam Aadmi Party national convenor.

“The matter is in the court and the next hearing is on March 16. Instead of sending summons daily, the ED should wait for the court's decision. We will not leave the INDIA alliance. Modi government should not create pressure like this.”

Delhi minister Atishi alleged last week that AAP leaders have been receiving messages, threatening them to leave the Opposition's INDIA bloc, after reports claimed that the seat-sharing deal between the AAP and the Congress could be announced anytime soon. On February, 24, the AAP and the Congress announced a seat sharing formula in Delhi, and other states, for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls as part of INDIA bloc. 
 

Earlier this month, the agency took the matter to the court after Arvind Kejriwal had skipped several summonses related to the investigation. The court after summoning Kejriwal had, in an earlier hearing, allowed him to appear virtually and later fixed March 16 as the next day of hearing. 

In its complaint before the court, the ED alleged that Kejriwal intentionally did not want to obey the summons and instead kept on giving "lame excuses". If a high-ranking public functionary like him disobeyed the law, it would "set a wrong example for the common man, the agency said.

The Delhi CM had claimed that the summons were illegal and the agency's only aim was to arrest him.

With three of its leaders - Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh and Satyendra Jain - already in jail in connection with the excise policy case, AAP has long been anticipating Kejriwal's arrest and even discussed the possible courses of action in case the Chief Minister is also send behind bars.

The new excise policy promulgated by the AAP government proposed to overhaul the alcohol industry in Delhi by shifting from a system dependent on sales volume to one based on trader's licence fees.