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Arvind Kejriwal summoned by ED for 4th time; Delhi CM calls it ‘invalid, illegal…’
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal criticizes the fourth notice sent by ED, calling it illegal and invalid. He claims that similar notices in the past were quashed by the court and accuses the ED of political vendetta.
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, who has been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for the fourth time, called it ‘illegal and invalid’. Kejriwal has been asked to appear before the ED on Thursday or Friday.
Commenting on it, Kejriwal said, “ED sent me the fourth notice today and asked me to appear before them on either on 18th or 19th January. These four notices are illegal and invalid. Whenever ED sends such notices, they are quashed by the court.”
“These notices are nothing but just political vendetta. An investigation has been done in this case for 2 years but they did not recover anything. Why have I been called 2 months before the Lok Sabha elections?”
The Aam Aadmi Party alleged that the BJP wants Kejriwal to be arrested so that he cannot campaign for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
"This is being done to stop him from campaigning for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. ED has said that Kejriwal is not an accused, then why were the summons issued to him," the party said.
Earlier, the chief minister was asked to appear on November 2 and December 21, 2023, but skipped the summons. The 55-year-old leader had refused to depose before the ED for the third time on January 3, citing Rajya Sabha polls and Republic Day preparations.
What are the charges against Kejriwal?
Kejriwal's name has been mentioned multiple times in charge sheets filed by the ED in the case. The agency has said that the accused were in touch with him regarding the preparation of the now-scrapped Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22.
The ED had claimed in its charge sheet that the AAP used "proceeds of crime" to the tune of about ₹45 crore in its Goa election campaign.
The agency is expected to file a fresh supplementary charge sheet in the case and may name AAP as a "beneficiary" of the alleged kickbacks that were generated through the excise policy.
It is alleged that the Delhi government's excise policy for 2021-22 to grant licences to liquor traders allowed cartelisation and favoured certain dealers who had allegedly paid bribes for it, a charge repeatedly refuted by the AAP.
The policy was subsequently scrapped and Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena recommended a CBI probe, following which the ED registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
(With agency inputs)
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Business NewsPoliticsNewsArvind Kejriwal summoned by ED for 4th time; Delhi CM calls it ‘invalid, illegal…’
First Published:18 Jan 2024, 02:28 PM IST
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