Delhi CM Kejriwal skips seventh ED summons; asks to wait for Court decision

AAP has emphasised that the matter is currently sub judice, with the next court hearing scheduled for March 16

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has once again opted not to appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday, marking his seventh consecutive absence from the summons. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) asserted that CM Kejriwal would not attend the ED summons and urged the agency to await the Court's decision rather than issuing repeated summons.

The ED issued its seventh summons to Kejriwal last week, seeking his presence for questioning in connection with a money-laundering case linked to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam for 2021-22.

Kejriwal has consistently refrained from attending the ED summons, denouncing them as "illegal". He had previously written to the ED requesting the withdrawal of the summonses.

The AAP has linked the latest ED summons to a recent Supreme Court verdict regarding the Chandigarh mayoral poll, suggesting it as a form of "revenge" by the BJP for their loss in the civic elections.

While the ED has yet to respond to these allegations, AAP leaders have condemned the summons as politically motivated and aimed at intimidating Kejriwal and the party ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in 2024.

AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj further criticised the ED's actions and accused the central government, led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), of misusing central agencies as political tools against their opponents. He stated that the party's legal experts would examine the matter further.

The AAP emphasised that the matter is currently sub judice, with the next court hearing scheduled for March 16. Therefore, they urged the ED to respect the legal process and await the Court's order instead of persistently issuing summons.

(With agency inputs)