Uncertainty persists over Kejriwal’s ED appearance today

The ED alleges that AAP received kickbacks to finalize the Delhi excise policy, and that some of these funds were used in the party's Goa elections campaign.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday in connection with its investigation into a money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in the Delhi excise policy 2021-22, but uncertainty prevailed till late on Tuesday whether or not Kejriwal would appear before the central probe agency.

ED has alleged that the AAP received kickbacks to the tune of ₹100 crore to finalise the excise policy, and that a chunk of this was used by the party in its Goa elections campaign. (PTI)

Kejriwal, who is also the national convener of the Aam Aadmi Party, has skipped two previous summons — on November 2 and on December 22 — calling them “illegal and politically motivated”.

An official in the chief minister’s office said, “We will act as per the law.”

Separately, AAP chief spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar, during a press conference on Tuesday, also said, “We will act as per law.”

The Delhi government’s 2021-22 excise policy aimed to revitalise the city’s flagging liquor business. It aimed to replace a sales-volume based regime with a licence fee-based one for traders, promised swankier stores, and introduced discounts and offers on the purchase of liquor — a first for Delhi.

ED has alleged that the AAP received kickbacks to the tune of ₹100 crore to finalise the excise policy, and that a chunk of this was used by the party in its Goa elections campaign. These alleged kickbacks, received from the so-called “South Group”, were transferred to former AAP communications in-charge Vijay Nair with the help of accused Abhishek Boinpally and Dinesh Arora, the agency has claimed.

Arora, in turn, assisted Rajesh Joshi of Chariot Productions Media Pvt Ltd to use these funds in AAP’s Goa poll campaign, according to one of ED’s charge sheets, and has claimed that AAP volunteers were paid in cash during the campaign.

ED has already arrested at least 14 top AAP leaders, including former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, in connection with the case, and the central probe agency has approached court seeking permission to investigate AAP as a beneficiary of the “proceeds of crime”.

AAP, Kejriwal, Sisodia, and Singh have denied all charges, and have called the case a “witch-hunt” and “political vendetta” at the behest of the Union government.

The party has also been running a campaign to seek public feedback on whether Kejriwal should step down as chief minister if he is arrested, or whether he should continue to run the government from behind bars.

HT on November 2 reported that when Kejriwal appears before ED, he is likely to be asked about funds received for the AAP campaign during the Goa elections, and whether he allowed Nair a free hand in dealing with liquor manufacturers and wholesalers to set the terms for the excise policy.

Kejriwal may also be asked about reported claims made by his former secretary C Arvind, who apparently told investigators that he was informed of a decision to carve out a 12% commission for wholesale private entities at Kejriwal’s residence in March 2021.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator and leader of the opposition in the Delhi assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhuri said Kejriwal should respect the law and participate in the ongoing investigation.

“Kejriwal has received three notices from the ED, but he is ignoring these notices and refusing to participate in the investigation... If he thinks the case is fake, then he has no need to worry, but the way he is trying to escape the law, it seems that there is something fishy,” he said.