Arvind Kejriwal issued third summons on Jan 3 in liquor policy case

The Enforcement Directorate on Friday issued a third summons to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in a money laundering case linked to the Delhi excise policy scam. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has been asked to appear before the agency on January 3.

The central agency issued its previous summons on December 18, asking Kejriwal to appear on December 21. However, he decided not to appear before the officials and headed for a 10-day Vipassana meditation camp.

Responding to the ED move, Kejriwal on Thursday dubbed the summons as 'illegal' and 'politically motivated,' asserting that he has nothing to hide.

He said, “I am ready to accept every legal summon. However, this ED summon is also illegal and politically motivated, like the previous summons. Summon should be withdrawn. I have spent my life with honesty and transparency. I have nothing to hide".

After the second summons, Kejriwal sent a 6-page reply to the probe agency stating that they "appear to be motivated and issued for extraneous considerations."

“The timing of your summons leaves much to desire and strengthens my belief that the summons being sent to me are not based upon any objective or rational yardstick but purely as a propaganda as well as to create sensational news in the final few months of much awaited parliamentary elections in the country," the AAP leader said.

The first summons was issued in October as part of the ongoing investigation into alleged money laundering linked to the liquor policy, which the Delhi government withdrew in July 2023 after facing corruption accusations.

In April this year, the Delhi Chief Minister was questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the case. However, he has not been named as an accused in the FIR filed by the CBI in August of last year.

Senior AAP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and another leader, Sanjay Singh, have been arrested in the same case.