Security measures were intensified outside Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence this Thursday morning, following assertions by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ministers who, citing undisclosed sources, suggested that the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) might arrest the AAP convener today.
These assertions emerged after Chief Minister Kejriwal failed to respond to the third summons issued by the ED on Wednesday. The ED had issued the third summons on December 22 last year in connection with the alleged Delhi liquor scam case, requiring Kejriwal’s appearance before the agency on January 3.
Taking to the social media platform X, AAP leader and Delhi’s Law and PWD Minister, Atishi, announced on Wednesday, “News coming in that ED is going to raid @ArvindKejriwal’s residence tomorrow morning. Arrest likely.”
Shortly after Atishi’s statement, Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj also posted on X, fueling speculations about Kejriwal’s potential arrest by the ED. “It is heard that tomorrow morning, ED is going to reach the house of Chief Minister Kejriwal and arrest him,” Bharadwaj mentioned in his post.
In response to the ED’s summons, Kejriwal expressed his willingness to cooperate with the investigation but refused to appear on the scheduled date, labeling the notice as “illegal.” Kejriwal questioned the agency for not addressing his earlier responses and queries regarding the nature of the investigation.
In his written response to the ED, the Delhi CM stated, “Your obstinacy 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.” He urged the agency to respond to his earlier replies and clarify the position for a better understanding of the inquiry’s intent and scope.
The Delhi CM had initially been called by the central agency to appear on November 2, but he did not comply, asserting that the notice was “vague, motivated, and unsustainable in law.” Kejriwal suggested that the summons seemed politically motivated and issued for extraneous considerations.
Meanwhile, AAP raised questions about the timing of the notice, just before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
