The Enforcement Directorate has sent seventh summons to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. The Delhi Chief Minister did not appear before the Enforcement Directorate on the sixth summon for questioning in a money laundering case linked to the excise policy matter, with his party terming the summons as "illegal".
Earlier, the Rouse Avenue court had granted exemption to Kejriwal from personal appearance for the day in connection with the complaint filed by the central agency. The application moved by Kejriwal's counsel stated that the Budget Session of the Delhi assembly commenced on February 15 and shall continue till the first week of March. He will physically appear before the court on the next date of hearing on March 16, it said.
What is the case
It is alleged that the Delhi government’s excise policy for 2021-22 to grant licences to liquor traders allowed cartelisation and favoured certain dealers who had allegedly paid bribes for it, a charge repeatedly refuted by the AAP. The policy was scrapped after Delhi LG V K Saxena in July, 2022, recommended a CBI probe into alleged irregularities and lapses in its implementation. After the CBI, the ED also registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in the matter.
More details to follow
