ED summons Kejriwal on Dec 21 in excise case

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for questioning on Thursday in a money laundering case linked to the Delhi excise policy case, people aware of the matter said on Monday

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for questioning on Thursday in a money laundering case linked to the Delhi excise policy case, people aware of the matter said on Monday.

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“He has been summoned on Thursday,” said an officer who asked not to be named, declining to share any further details.

This is the second time that the federal agency summoned the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief in the case, and, if he appears before ED, could be the first time that Kejriwal is questioned by ED. Kejriwal was earlier questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation(CBI) as the two federal agencies are probing two different angles in the Delhi liquor policy case.

On November 2, the Delhi chief minister skipped ED’s first summons after writing to agency that it did not clarify three things — in what capacity he was being asked to come, as a witness or person of interest; the exact reasons why he was summoned; and was called in his individual capacity or official role as chief minister or AAP’s national convener. He also called the summons a “fishing and roving” inquiry.

This time, Kejriwal is due to travel for 11 days for vipasana on December 19, and the government announced on Sunday that minister Atishi would be in-charge of the administration in his absence.

ED has alleged that the AAP received kickbacks to the tune of ₹100 crore to finalise the Delhi excise policy, and that a chunk of this were used by the party in its Goa elections campaign. These alleged kickbacks, received from the “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 cmapaign, according to one of ED’s charge sheets. ED has also claimed that AAP volunteers were paid in cash during the campaign.

So far, ED has arrested two top AAP leaders – former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh in the case. In all, at least 14 people have been arrested by the agency, and ED has approached court seeking permission to investigate the AAP as a beneficiary of “proceeds of crime”.

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

An AAP spokesperson on Monday called the case “fake”.

“This is a completely fake case only to target the AAP leadership. The BJP has not been able to produce any evidence in courts. It’s just political vendetta to counter the growing popularity of AAP across the country,” said the spokesperson.

In one of its charge sheets filed in the case — ED has filed five so far — the financial crimes agency said that the excise policy was Kejriwal’s “brainchild”. The chief minister’s name was also mentioned in the past in court documents, including charge sheets and remand papers, in reference to alleged meetings, fixing commissions for private players, and the entry of political players and businesspeople from the south into Delhi’s liquor business.

But he was neither named in the first information report (FIR) filed on August 17 last year.

The AAP has anticipated that Kejriwal may be arrested by ED, and has been running a public referendum programme, “Main bhi Kejriwal” in which it has asked people whether Kejriwal should resign or run the government from behind bars in case he is arrested in “fabricated excise case”.

A Delhi government official, seeking not to be named, said no order has been issued regarding who will be in charge in place of the CM when he is away for vipasana because it is not required. “The CM currently does not hold any portfolio,” said the official.

CBI, which is probing irregularities in the case, quizzed Kejriwal on April 17. After the questioning, which lasted over nine hours, Kejriwal addressed a press conference saying that he was asked 56 questions. “They questioned me in a cordial atmosphere. I want to thank CBI officers for their hospitality and courtesy. I answered all the questions because I did not have anything to hide,” he had then told reporters. He also reiterated that the entire case was “fake.”

The Delhi liquor policy was introduced in November 2021, overhauling the Capital’s liquor business, and making the process of purchasing liquor more consumer-friendly. But it allegedly led to unexpected excise revenue loss worth thousands of crores and cartelisation. Later lieutenant governor (LG) VK Saxena recommended a CBI probe into alleged irregularities flagged by chief secretary Naresh Kumar in a report submitted to the LG.