The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for questioning on Monday regarding a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in the Delhi excise policy for the 2021-22 fiscal year, which has since been revoked.
Kejriwal has skipped previous summonses on seven occasions. Consequently, the ED has filed a complaint against him in a Delhi court for non-compliance with its summons. The court has granted Kejriwal an exemption from personal appearance until March 16. Kejriwal has participated in court proceedings virtually, citing his involvement in the ongoing Budget session of the Delhi assembly as the reason for his inability to appear in person.
The ED alleges that Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders received bribes totaling ₹100 crores in connection with the 2021-22 excise policy, which was implemented in November 2021. Following a recommendation from Lieutenant-Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena, the policy was revoked, and a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the alleged irregularities was initiated.
Although Arvind Kejriwal has not been formally charged in the case, the ED contends in one of its six charge sheets that he conceived the excise policy.
The investigation by the ED stems from a First Information Report (FIR) alleging various irregularities in the formulation and execution of the Delhi Excise Policy (2021-22), which was withdrawn amid corruption allegations. In its sixth charge sheet filed on December 2, 2023, the ED implicated AAP leader Sanjay Singh and his associate Sarvesh Mishra, alleging that the AAP utilized kickbacks totaling ₹45 crore, allegedly derived from the policy, for its electoral campaign in Goa during the 2022 assembly elections.
Two prominent AAP figures, Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh, are already in judicial custody as part of this case. Sisodia, who served as Delhi Deputy Chief Minister at the time, was detained by the CBI on February 26 after multiple rounds of questioning. Similarly, on October 5, Singh, a Rajya Sabha member, was arrested by the ED.
(With inputs from agencies)
