New Delhi:
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is likely to skip an Enforcement Directorate summons – for a second time – in connection with the liquor policy casesources told NDTV Wednesday. Mr Kejriwal was scheduled to depart yesterday but postponed his plans to attend the INDIA opposition bloc meeting.
Mr Kejriwal, called to join the agency’s probe on Thursday, has left on a 10-day meditation retreat to an undisclosed location, the same sources said. The Aam Aadmi Party leader was first summoned on November 2, but he snubbed that call, opting instead to campaign for the Madhya Pradesh election.
Amid furious speculation he could be arrested on that day (speculation that continues to persist), Mr Kejriwal called the summons “illegal” and “politically motivated”, and demanded it be withdrawn.
Mr Kejriwal can only skip a summons thrice before he faces a non-bailable arrest warrant.
NDTV Explains | Probe Agency’s Options After Arvind Kejriwal Skips Summons
In April, Mr Kejriwal was questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation – as a witness – for nine hours, after which he slammed the agency. “The CBI asked me 56 questions (but) everything is fake. I am convinced they don’t have anything on us… not a single piece of evidence,” he declared.
READ | “CBI Asked 56 Questions…”: Arvind Kejriwal After 9-Hour Questioning
The fresh summons to Mr Kejriwal will also renew talk of his party being made an accused in this case, which would be an unprecedented first in Indian politics. The Supreme Court in October posed this question to the Enforcement Directorate – “why isn’t the political party still not made an accused?”
READ | “Want To Clarify…”: Supreme Court On “Making AAP An Accused” Question
Sources had then told NDTV of a money trail leading to the AAP’s poll campaigns.
The Delhi liquor case refers to allegations that the AAP government’s revamped alcohol sales policy of 2022 for the national capital allowed it to receive crores of rupees in kickbacks from cartels, and that this money was channelled into funding the party’s election expenses in Goa and other states.
Specifically, both the ED and the CBI have alleged the policy allowed cartelisation and favoured certain dealers, who paid bribes for liquor sale licenses.
NDTV Explains | What Is Delhi Liquor Policy Case Linked To Arvind Kejriwal’s Party
The AAP has strongly refuted all charges. The Delhi government reported a 27 per cent increase in income from the policy and generated Rs 8,900 crore in revenue.
Mr Kejriwal’s former deputy, Manish Sisodia, and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh have both been arrested in connection with this case. Mr Sisodia was arrested in February and Mr Singh in October.
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