Kejriwal to be 'arrested' after ED raid today: AAP ministers
Several Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ministers have claimed they received information that Delhi Chief Minister and party chief Arvind Kejriwal would likely be arrested on Thursday after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducts raids at his residence. Party leaders Jasmine Shah, Saurabh Bharadwaj, and Atishi made the claims after Kejriwal skipped the third summons issued by the probe agency in the alleged Delhi liquor policy scam case on Wednesday.
Why does this story matter?
The ED case is based on a First Information Report (FIR) filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) alleging several irregularities in the formulation and implementation of the Delhi excise policy. The AAP has criticized the timing of the summons issued ahead of the 2024 general elections, alleging that it is a deliberate attempt to hinder Kejriwal's campaign. Under existing laws, an individual can skip summonses three times before the probe agency can obtain a non-bailable warrant against them.
Here's what AAP leaders claimed regarding Kejriwal's arrest
On Wednesday night, Atishi took to X (formerly Twitter) and said, "News coming in that ED is going to raid Arvind Kejriwal's residence tomorrow morning. Arrest likely." Right after, Bharadwaj tweeted in Hindi, "It is heard that tomorrow morning, ED is going to reach the house of Chief Minister Kejriwal and arrest him." Similarly, Shah also claimed that sources confirmed that the probe agency was going to raid Kejriwal's residence on Thursday morning and is likely to be apprehended.
ED isn't providing questions in writing: Atishi
Furthermore, Atishi has questioned the ED's purpose of issuing summons to the Delhi CM when the Lok Sabha polls are just around the corner. "Kejriwal is ready to answer every question asked by the ED. Three summons have been issued to Kejriwal in the past two weeks. The ED is not providing the questions in writing," the AAP minister told India Today. Kejriwal had previously ignored two ED summonses on November 2 and December 21.
AAP labeled ED's notice to Kejriwal 'illegal'
On Wednesday, the Delhi chief minister chose not to appear before the ED for interrogation again in the alleged liquor policy case. "Ready to cooperate in ED investigation, but the agency's notice is illegal. Their intention is to arrest Kejriwal. They want to stop him from election campaign," said the AAP. Last year in April, Kejriwal was questioned by the CBI regarding the case but wasn't named as an accused by the agency.
All you need to know about Delhi Liquor Policy scam
The Delhi government introduced a revised liquor excise policy in November 2021, which was nixed less than a year later due to widespread corruption claims. Central probe agencies alleged that wholesalers' profit margins were arbitrarily increased from five to 12%. They also claimed that the policy led to cartelization and favored those ineligible for liquor licenses for monetary gain. However, the Kejriwal-led state government rejected the claims, and added that the policy would've increased revenue.
