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ED team reaches Arvind Kejriwal's residence with search warrant, questions CM
Arvind Kejriwal was questioned at his residence by the ED team that reached his Civil Lines house on Thursday evening.
An Enforcement Directorate team on Thursday reached Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's house hours after the Delhi high court refused to grant any protection to the chief minister from coercive action against him in the liquor probe. The high court said it was not inclined to grant relief at this stage. Soon after the order, ED officials reached Kejriwal's Civil Lines residence. AAP leaders Saurabh Bharadwaj, Atishi were not allowed to enter his residence.
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ED officials said they went to the CM's residence to serve him a summons in the case. However, reports said the officials had a search warrant and a raid was going on at Kejriwal's residence. It was also reported that the CM might be interrogated. The chief minister since last year has skipped multiple summons by the agency.
“It seems like there is a raid going on in Kejriwal's residence. The way they are not allowing anyone to enter it looks like they are preparing for Kejriwal's arrest,” Saurabh Bhardwaj said.
Atishi reached the spot and questioned the heavy police barricading around CM's residence. “This is not the first time a search has been conducted. Why have you brought us much force if not to arrest Kejriwal,” Atishi said.
The high court hearing Arvind Kejriwal's matter on Thursday asked the chief minister why he had not approached the lower court seeking anticipatory bail if he was apprehending arrest. “Until and unless you attend any of the call, how would you know what information do they want? The summons started from the month of October. If you had apprehension that if you attend their call .. then why did you not challenge? What prevented you to not go to the court below from filing an anticipatory bail?” the bench asked.
The case pertains to alleged corruption and money laundering in formulating and executing the Delhi government's excise policy for 2021-22, which was later scrapped.
AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh are in judicial custody in the case.
Arvind Kejriwal's name has been mentioned multiple times in the charge sheets filed by the ED. The agency has alleged that the accused were in touch with Kejriwal for formulating the excise policy that resulted in undue benefits to them in return for which they paid kickbacks to the AAP.
