Arvind Kejriwal-ED row: Why Delhi CM skipped 9 summons by probe agency

Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party has said that the AAP chief is willing to appear before the ED but could be arrested by them during interrogation to stop him for campaigning for Lok Sabha polls

Arvind Kejriwal approached the Delhi High Court on Thursday with a fresh plea against the Enforcement Directorate (ED), seeking protection from any 'coercive action' by the agency in the excise policy case. A division bench is set to hear the matter today.

The development followed a day after Kejriwal's lawyers told the HC that the Delhi chief minister is willing to appear before the probe agency but he wants "protection" first. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) fears that Kejriwal could be arrested if he appears before the ED. Notably, AAP leaders Sanjay Jain and Manish Sisodia are in judicial custody after they were arrested during questioning in the matter.

What AAP said on plea

"Delhi CM Kejriwal wants to join the ED investigation and cooperate with the agency. But, we believe that the ED is not an independent agency. It does not want to conduct an investigation. It is a political tool of the BJP," AAP minister Atishi charged in a new message.

The Delhi minister alleged that the probe agency's aim is to arrest Kejriwal and stop him from campaigning for Lok Sabha polls.

What is the excise policy case?

The ED has issued nine summonses to Kejriwal since October in the ongoing investigation linked to the alleged excise policy scam. The latest summons was issued for March 21, a day after the court granted bail to the AAP chief on the two complaints filed by the ED for skipping the first six summons. The matter will next be heard on April 22.

The case pertains to the alleged corruption carried out by the AAP government via the implementation of the Delhi liquor policy 2021-22, which was later scrapped. The ED has alleged that the top AAP leaders, including Kejriwal and Sisodia and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLC K Kavitha "conspired" to get favours in the Delhi Excise policy execution. According to ED's charge, Kavitha is allegedly involved in paying Rs 100 crore to the AAP leaders in exchange for these favours.

When were Jain, Sisodia arrested?

Former Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain was arrested by the ED in May 2022 in the case, while Sisodia was arrested on February 26 last year, following an eight-hour-long interrogation by the Central Bureau of Investigation.

(With PTI inputs)