Delhi Excise Policy Case: Arvind Kejriwal Skips ED Summons For Third Time (image: twitter.com/ArvindKejriwal)

Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal is to skip Enforcement Directorate (ED) summons for the third time. Reportedly, he has written a reply to the ED and claimed that their notice is illegal. AAP chief then added that he is willing to cooperate, but their intention is to arrest him.

“Ready to cooperate in ED investigation but the agency”s notice is illegal. Their intention is to arrest Arvind Kejriwal. They want to stop him from election campaign,” ANI quotes as an AAP official is saying.

ED has asked the Delhi Chief Minister to appear for questioning on January 3 in connection with the Delhi excise policy case. This is the third time Arvind Kejriwal refused to appear before the central probe agency. The earlier two summons were scheduled on November 2 and December 21.

This summons was in relation to the irregularities found in the now-scrapped excise policy for 2021–22, alleging that the policy had favoured several liquor dealers. Based on the report of the chief secretary of Delhi government, Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena recommended a CBI probe in July last year. ED has submitted a report to the apex court, and as per the chargesheet the liquor policy changes made by the AAP government has resulted in gain of at least Rs 338 crore for wholesale distributors, who has returned the favour by funding election campaign in Goa, reports Times of India.

The federal agency claimed that Rs 1,000 crore of proceeds of crime were generated in the liquor scam of which it had established a money trail of over Rs 500 crore.

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