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New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for questioning in connection with the money laundering case pertaining to the now-scrapped excise policy.This action taken hours after the Supreme Court turned down the bail petition of his former deputy and close confidant Manish Sisodia. He has been asked to present himself at the Delhi office of the Central agency on November 2.
CM Kejriwal (55) has been issued the summons under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). According to the sources, the agency will record his statement once he deposes before the investigating officer of the case in Delhi. The Chief Minister has been summoned in the same case that has resulted in the arrest of his former deputy Manish Sisodia in February this year and AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh on October 4.
Sanjay Singh has been sent to judicial custody till November 10. This comes after the Supreme Court on Monday dismissed the bail pleas of former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia in connection with corruption and money-laundering cases involving now-scrapped excise policy for the national capital. Manish Sisodia is the prime accused in the case.
Kejriwal was called for questioning by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the same case in April this year. However, the AAP supremo has not been named as an accused in the FIR filed by CBI in August last year. Kejriwal was questioned by the CBI for over nine hours in connection with the corruption and criminal conspiracy probe in the case.
After returning from CBI office, Kejriwal had said, “I was called at 11 am and they questioned me till 8.30pm. 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.”
Central probe agencies ED and CBI have alleged that the liquor policy rolled out by the AAP-led Delhi government resulted in cartelisation and those ineligible for liquor licences were favoured for monetary benefits.
Reacting to the development, AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj accused the Centre of leaving no stone unturned to ‘finish’ the party through fake cases. He said in a video post on X,”The Centre has only one objective — to destroy the Aam Aadmi Party at any cost.” However, Kejriwal and his party have denied the allegations and claimed that the new policy would have led to an increase in revenue share.
