The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has recently issued fresh summons to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in connection with the ongoing Delhi excise policy scam case. This marks the fifth summon to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Convener, who has thus far skipped four summons. The ED has mandated Kejriwal's appearance on February 2, following his non-compliance with the previous summons.
The last summon was issued on January 13, instructing Kejriwal to appear for questioning on January 18. However, the Chief Minister did not respond to the summons. The ED had previously issued a third summon on December 22, 2023, asking him to appear before the agency on January 3.
The excise policy scam case involves allegations that the Delhi government's excise policy facilitated cartelization and favored specific dealers who allegedly paid bribes. The Aam Aadmi Party has consistently refuted these allegations. After the policy was scrapped, Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena recommended a CBI probe, leading to the ED registering a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The repeated summons have sparked speculation regarding the potential arrest of Arvind Kejriwal. His non-compliance with the investigation has drawn attention, with several AAP leaders expressing concerns about the likelihood of his arrest. In a similar vein, former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia was arrested in February, and AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh faced custody in October, both in connection with the same case.