Arvind Kejriwal to skip ED summons in Delhi Jal Board case: AAP

Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Arvind Kejriwal on Monday skipped the Enforcement Directorate (ED) summons issued against him in connection with the Delhi Jal Board case.

Lashing out at the probe agency, the party said, “When there is bail from the court, why is ED sending summons again and again? ED summons are illegal.”

The AAP further claimed that the Delhi Jal Board case “seems to be a backup plan to arrest Kejriwal” and “stop him from campaigning for the Lok Sabha polls.”

Kejriwal was issued a summons by ED under section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in the Delhi Jal Board case, ANI reported. The summons was issued to him on Saturday, asking the Chief Minister to appear before it for questioning today.

What is the Delhi Jal Board case?

In the DJB case, the probe agency has claimed that funds obtained through corruption in a contract awarded by the Delhi government’s department were allegedly channeled as election funds to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

In February, the ED conducted raids at the residences of Kejriwal’s personal assistant, a Rajya Sabha MP from AAP, a former DJB member, a chartered accountant, and others as part of this probe.

The ED’s case is based on a CBI FIR alleging irregularities in a DJB contract awarded to a company — NKG Infrastructure Ltd. — for a sum of Rs 38 crore even though the company “did not meet” the technical eligibility criteria.

The probe agency has arrested individuals linked to the contract, alleging that kickbacks were involved in awarding the contract and these funds were subsequently used for illicit purposes, including as election funds for the AAP.

However, the AAP has termed the agency’s claims as “fake”.

Notably, this was the second instance where Kejriwal was summoned under the anti-money laundering law. He is also facing a probe in the Delhi excise policy-related money laundering case, where he has skipped at least eight ED summons.

A Delhi court on Saturday granted bail to Kejriwal in two complaints filed by the Enforcement Directorate against him for skipping summons.

The ED had earlier moved the magisterial court seeking Kejriwal’s prosecution for not attending the first three summonses issued to him in the money laundering case linked to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy. It later moved the court again against the national convenor for not honouring summonses no 4 to 8.