ED issues fourth summons to Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal in excise policy case, asks him to appear on 18 January

The 55-year-old leader had refused to depose before the ED for the third time on 3 January, saying the “non-disclosure and non-response approach” of the agency could not sustain the test of law, equity or justice and its “obstinacy” was tantamount to assuming the role of judge, jury, and executioner.

However, he had said he would be “happy to answer” any questionnaire sent by it.

He was earlier asked twice to depose on 2 November and 21 December in 2023.

By issuing the fresh notice, the ED has again rejected Kejriwal’s contention that the summons issued to him were “not in consonance with the law” and hence should be withdrawn.

The AAP leaders have claimed that the summons were sent to arrest Kejriwal as the BJP-led Union government wanted to stop him from campaigning for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Related: ED likely to issue fresh summons to Arvind Kejriwal

Speculation of arrest

AAP leader Atishi Singh and some other party leaders had, on 3 January, posted on X that the ED might raid Kejriwal’s residence and arrest him. “News coming in that ED is going to raid Arvind Kejriwal’s residence tmrw morning. Arrest likely,” she wrote on X.

AAP sources, on 4 January, claimed that the roads leading to Arvind Kejriwal’s residence were blocked and police personnel deployed at all gates as the ED was “gearing up” to raid and arrest the Delhi chief minister.

“The roads leading to the chief minister’s house have been shut and police personnel are deployed at all the entry/exit gates. Event the staff deployed at the Chief Minister’s house has been stopped from entering,” an Aam Aadmi Party source said.

“The ED is gearing up to raid and arrest Kejriwal,” another source from the party said.

While the Delhi police refuted the claims. They said that the security around the chief minister’s house was beefed up to “manage” media personnel who have gathered there since 3 January after party leaders claimed that Kejriwal would be raided and arrested.

However, the BJP accused Arvind Kejriwal of “running away” from a probe after the Delhi chief minister skipped the third summons by the ED in connection with the Delhi excise policy case.

Also Read: Delhi excise policy case: Kejriwal skips third ED summons

Mention of Kejriwal’s name

The ED has claimed in one of the charge sheets that it has recorded the statement of Buichibabu Gorantla, an accountant allegedly linked to BRS leader K Kavitha, in which he said “there was political understanding between K Kavitha and the chief minister (Kejriwal) and (former) deputy chief minister (Manish Sisodia). In that process, K Kavitha also met Vijay Nair (AAP communications in-charge arrested in the case) on 19-20 March, 2021”.

In an another instance involving arrested accused Dinesh Arora, the ED said he told the agency that he had met Kejriwal once at his residence.

Similarly, the ED charge sheet said YSRCP MP Magunta Sreenivasulu Reddy also held meetings with Kejriwal, wherein the AAP leader welcomed his entry into the Delhi liquor business.

It had said Butchibabu and another accused, Arun Ramachandra Pillai, have revealed that they and Nair were working with the “support and sanction” of Kejriwal and Sisodia for all the excise policy-related activities, including its formulation and implementation.

It had also alleged that Nair “arranged a video call through Facetime (a video-calling facility on iPhone) for another arrested accused, Sameer (Mahendru), and Arvind Kejriwal, where Arvind said to Sameer that Vijay is his boy and that Sameer should trust him and carry on with him”.

Also read: Arvind Kejriwal skips ED summons

Delhi excise policy scam

Kejriwal’s party colleagues, Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh, are in judicial custody in this case.

The AAP had alleged that Kejriwal would be the first to be arrested as part of the BJP’s plan to target top INDIA bloc leaders ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and the ED summons were an attempt to finish the party that is in power in Delhi and Punjab.

It is alleged that the Delhi government’s excise policy for 2021-22 to grant licences to liquor traders allowed cartelisation and favoured certain dealers who had allegedly paid bribes for it, a charge repeatedly refuted by the AAP.

The policy was subsequently scrapped, and the Delhi lieutenant governor recommended a CBI probe, following which the ED registered a case under the PMLA.

(With PTI inputs)