Delhi excise policy case: Arvind Kejriwal skips 6th ED summons, AAP explains why

The Aam Aadmi Party on Monday said its national convenor and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal will not appear before the Enforcement Directorate, for the sixth time, claiming that the probe agency’s summons is “illegal”.

The AAP said the ED should wait for the court’s decision instead of repeatedly sending summons to Arvind Kejriwal. This will be the sixth ED summons in connection with the money laundering probe related to irregularities in the Delhi excise policy 2021-22 case that Arvind Kejriwal will skip.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had approached a city court after Kejriwal skipped multiple summonses. On Saturday, the court had granted exemption to Arvind Kejriwal from personal appearance for the day in connection with the complaint filed by the central agency.

The application moved by Arvind Kejriwal’s counsel stated that the Budget Session of the Delhi assembly has commenced on February 15 and shall continue till the first week of March.

The Delhi chief minister said he will physically appear before the court on the next date of hearing on March 16, it said.

On February 2, Arvind Kejriwal skipped the ED’s summons for the fifth time. The summons to the Delhi chief minister followed the fourth summons, which he had skipped on January 18.

While skipping the fifth summons, the party called it “unlawful.”

According to the ED, the agency wanted to record Kejriwal’s statement in the case on issues like the formulation of policy, meetings held before it was finalised, and allegations of bribery.

In its sixth charge sheet filed in the case on December 2, 2023, naming AAP leader Sanjay Singh and his aide Sarvesh Mishra, the ED has claimed that the AAP used kickbacks worth ₹45 crore generated via the policy as part of its assembly elections campaign in Goa in 2022.