THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK
New Delhi, March 4: Following the eighth summons from the Directorate of Enforcement (ED), which required Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to appear before them on March 4, the Aam Aadmi Party leader responded by labelling the summon as “illegal”. Nevertheless, he has consented to a virtual appearance before the agency on any date post March 12.
In a money laundering investigation pertaining to irregularities in the Delhi Excise Policy 2021–22 case, the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) earlier on February 27 issued an eighth summons to Arvind Kejriwal, the chief minister of Delhi and leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), asking him to appear for questioning on March 4.
Kejriwal has avoided and skipped attending the seven previous summons issued by the ED on February 26, February 19, February 2, January 18, January 3, November 2, and December 22, deeming them as illegal and politically motivated.
When Kejriwal skipped the seventh ED summons the AAP stated that the case was “pending in court” and that a hearing was scheduled for March 16. It asked the Enforcement Directorate not to issue more summonses right now, but to wait for the court’s ruling.
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The party further emphasized that the Narendra Modi-led government at the centre should refrain from exerting such pressure, affirming its commitment to remain within the INDIA Opposition coalition.
Regarding matters like as the formulation of policy, meetings that took place prior to its finalization, and accusations of bribery, the ED is seeking to record Kejriwal’s statement in the case.
After the Delhi Chief Minister ignored five summonses from the ED in the purported illegal liquor scam case, the ED had filed a complaint against him in Rouse Avenue Court on February 3.
In response to an ED complaint about his purported failure to comply with its summons, Kejriwal appeared before the Rouse Avenue Court via video conference on February 17.
Kejriwal told the court during his virtual appearance that although he would have liked to attend in person, he was unable to do so because of the budget sessions and the confidence motion.
The court date of Kejriwal’s physical appearance was set for March 16, 2024, after Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Divya Malhotra granted his request for an exemption on Saturday.