After 3 summons issued to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, now ED has issued its fourth summon, instructing him to appear before the central probe agency on January 18 in connection with the alleged Delhi excise policy case. This development follows Kejriwal’s refusal to depose before the ED for the third time on January 3.
Earlier, the ED had issued a third summons to Chief Minister Kejriwal on December 22, 2023, related to the alleged Delhi liquor scam case, setting the appearance date for January 3. Prior to that, Kejriwal had been summoned on December 18 in connection with the excise policy case, with the appearance date scheduled for December 21.
The Delhi CM was initially called by the central agency to appear on November 2. However, he did not depose, citing that the notice was “vague, motivated, and unsustainable in law.” In response to skipping the third summons, Kejriwal expressed his willingness to cooperate with the investigation but refused to appear on the summoned date, labeling the notice as “illegal.”
In a written reply to the ED, Chief Minister Kejriwal criticized the agency for not responding to his earlier replies and raised concerns about the nature of the investigation. He stated, “As a premier investigating agency, the non-disclosure and non-response approach adopted by you cannot sustain the test of law, equity, or justice. Your obstinacy is tantamount to assuming the role of judge, jury, and executioner at the same time, which is not acceptable in our country governed by the rule of law.”
Additionally, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had been summoned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in April of the previous year in connection with the case. However, he was not named as an accused in the FIR filed by the CBI on August 17.
Earlier in February 2023, Arvind Kejriwal’s Deputy Manish Sisodia was arrested by the CBI for alleged irregularities in the framing and implementation of the now-scrapped Delhi’s new excise policy. The policy faced withdrawal amid allegations of foul play by the opposition.
