Kejriwal summoned by Delhi court after ED's complaint
A Delhi court has summoned Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in connection with a money laundering case linked to the alleged liquor policy scam. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Divya Malhotra of Rouse Avenue Courts ordered Kejriwal to appear in court on February 17. The ruling came after the Enforcement Directorate filed a complaint against Kejriwal for not complying with the five summonses issued to him.
Why does this story matter?
Kejriwal has ignored all summonses issued to him, calling them illegal because he has not been named as an accused in the case. He had previously stated that summonses were intended to arrest him and prevent him from campaigning in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Two of his AAP associates, Manish Sisodia and Satyendra Jain, are already in jail in this case.
Kejriwal not complying with the summons: ED
We are studying the court order, says AAP
Following the court order, the party stated that it was reviewing the order and would take appropriate steps as per the law. "We will inform the court how all Enforcement Directorate summonses were illegal," it added. Kejriwal last ignored the ED's summons on February 2. He instead joined the party's protest outside Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headquarters against "cheating" in the Chandigarh mayoral polls.
Reasons Kejriwal gave for ignoring summons
The previous four summonses were issued to him on November 2, December 21, January 3 and January 18. He did not reply to the first summons because he was campaigning in Madhya Pradesh. At the time, Kejriwal wrote a scathing letter to ED calling its notice "illegal" and "politically" motivated. The rest he ignored due to prior obligations, including a 10-day meditation retreat.
