New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal has been summoned for the ninth time by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money laundering probe linked to alleged irregularities in the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 case.
HIGHLIGHTS:
- The ED has instructed Kejriwal to appear for questioning on March 21 as part of their ongoing investigation into the matter.
- Earlier, CM Kejriwal followed had skipped the eighth summons by ED on March 4 in the Delhi excise policy case.
- Kejriwal first appeared before the city’s Rouse Avenue Court physically on Saturday in connection with the case as the agency earlier filed two complaints against him in the court complaining for disobeying their summons to join the probe.
- The court later granted him bail in the case filed by the agency for skipping its summons. The court asked the Delhi CM to respond to the ED summons and obey the law.
- Kejriwal has skipped eight previous summons issued by the ED on March 4, February 26, February 19, February 2, January 18, January 3, November 2 and on December 22, calling them “illegal and politically motivated”.
EXCISE POLICY CASE:
- The case against the Delhi CM is based on a FIR alleging multiple irregularities in the formation and implementation of the Delhi excise policy (2021-22) by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
- The excise policy was aimed to revitalise the city’s flagging liquor business and replace a sales-volume-based regime with a license fee for traders.
- The policy introduced discounts and offers on the purchase of liquor for the first time in Delhi. The policy was withdrawn after allegations of corruption.
- Two senior AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh are already under judicial custody in the case.
