Arvind Kejriwal writes to ED, questions the intent of summons served to him

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal failed to show up for questioning in relation to the Delhi excise policy case on Wednesday

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday wrote to the Enforcement Directorate (ED), questioning the intent of the summons served to him by the probe agency in connection with the excise policy case.

Seeking a questionnaire from the agency, Kejriwal said, "Every time, before the summons reaches me, it is already there in the media. This raises questions whether the purpose of the summon is to do any legitimate enquiry or tarnish my reputation."

In the letter, Kejriwal also mentioned that the Rajya Sabha elections are to take place on January 19, and he also has to participate in the Republic Day programme on January 26 as the chief minister of Delhi.

Accusing the ED of "maintaining secrecy" and not responding to his earlier replies, he said the ED issued summons "in the same format as before" without giving any response to his earlier replies. "Therefore, I assume that you do not have any valid reason or justification for issuance of these summons," he said.
 

Kejriwal added the ED refused to "even acknowledge" the receipt of the detailed submissions made in response to the summons issued to him.

"I am aware of several cases where the Directorate of Enforcement has given detailed explanation and\or response to any of the queries raised or apprehensions nursed by a person who may have been issued summons," he said in the letter.
 

 "Your silence on the aforementioned critical aspects leads me to infer that you are maintaining unwarranted secrecy and are being opaque and arbitrary in the present matter," Kejriwal added.

Further, he urged the ED to respond to his earlier replies and "clarify the position so as to enable me to understand the real intent, ambit, nature, sweep and scope of the purported inquiry/investigation for which I am being called," he wrote in the letter.

This comes hours after Kejriwal failed to show up for questioning for the third time in relation to the Delhi excise policy case. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said that while Kejriwal is ready to cooperate with ED for investigation, its notice is illegal.

The AAP reiterated that ED intended to arrest Kejriwal and that the BJP wants to stop him from campaigning in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The party also asked why notices were being sent right before the polls.

Arvind Kejriwal and ED summons

The first summons by ED was issued to Arvind Kejriwal in October to appear for questioning on November 2. The Delhi CM had skipped questioning and gone to Madhya Pradesh for a road show ahead of the Assembly elections in the state. At the time, he had also called the summons politically motivated and the inquiry a "fishing and roving" exercise.

The next summons was sent to him to appear for questioning on December 21. Kejriwal was supposed to leave Delhi for a Vipassana meditation session that day. In the letter to ED, he said the summons were "not based upon any objective or rational yardstick" and called them pure "propaganda".