Excise policy case: Delhi court summons Kejriwal after ED's complaint
The saga surrounding the Enforcement Directorate (ED) summonses to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his denial to appear has taken a fresh turn. Following the ED's new complaint on Wednesday, a Delhi court has asked the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo to appear before it on March 16. The probe agency, which wants to question him in the Delhi Excise Policy case, told the court that Kejriwal skipped multiple summonses issued under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Why does this story matter?
The Delhi CM has previously skipped the ED's summons eight times. Earlier, too, the agency filed a complaint against him for non-compliance, and a Delhi court had excused him from appearing in person until March 16 due to the Delhi Assembly's Budget Session. Meanwhile, Kejriwal has also accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)'s central government of using central agencies like the ED to target opposition leaders.
Kejriwal accused of ignoring multiple summons
The agency's Wednesday complaint reportedly concerns Kejriwal's failure to comply with summons four through eight under Section 50 of the PMLA. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Divya Malhotra's court had scheduled a hearing on the matter for Thursday. Earlier, the ED had sought Kejriwal's prosecution in a court for not attending the first three summonses issued in the same case, which is also set for a hearing on March 16.
AAP leaders arrested so far in excise policy scam case
In this case, the ED has arrested senior AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh, party communications head Vijay Nair, and several liquor business owners. Kejriwal's name has appeared in the agency's charge sheets, which alleged that the accused were in contact with him regarding the development of the now-scrapped 2021-22 excise policy. However, the Delhi chief minister has not been formally charged in the alleged scam case.
Those who refuse to join BJP sent to jail: Kejriwal
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, Kejriwal hit out at the Centre over the summonses in the excise policy case. "Those who refuse to join the BJP are sent to jail. Satyendar Jain, Manish Sisodia, and Sanjay Singh will get bail tomorrow if they join the BJP today," he wrote on X (formerly Twitter). "Even I will stop getting ED summonses if I join the BJP now," claimed Kejriwal.
You can read Kejriwal's full post here
What is Delhi Excise Policy scam case?
In November 2021, the Kejriwal-led Delhi government implemented the revamped 2021-22 liquor excise policy. However, less than a year later, it decided to scrap the policy amid extensive corruption allegations. Central probe agencies claimed that wholesaler profit margins were artificially boosted from 5% to 12%. They also alleged that the regulation promoted cartelization and benefited those ineligible for liquor licenses for economic gain.
