New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday summoned Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for questioning in the Delhi excise policy case. The summons were issued after Supreme Court reject the bail plea of former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia.
The ED is investigating alleged irregularities in the awarding of liquor licenses in Delhi. Kejriwal has been asked to appear before the ED on November 2, 2023. AAP released a video of leader Saurabh Bhardwaj’s statement on the summoning of the party’s national convenor.
The Delhi excise policy case is one of several cases in which Kejriwal and his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government are being investigated. On April 16, CM Kejriwal was questioned by the CBI for nine hours, and in August 17, 2022, the CBI registered the case in case with the alleged irregularities in implementation of the policy against 15 accused including Manish Sisodia.
The excise policy case is related to the Delhi government’s decision to allow private companies to operate liquor stores in the city. In November 2021, the Kejriwal led Delhi government implemented the new policy to increase revenue and reduce corruption in the liquor industry. However, it scrapped the policy on July 31, 2022 after the ED has alleged that the new policy was formulated in a way that benefited certain private companies.
The ED has also alleged that the AAP government received kickbacks from some of the companies that were awarded liquor licenses. The AAP has denied these allegations, and has accused the ED of conducting a witch hunt against the party.
The ED’s summons to Kejriwal is likely to further escalate the tension between the AAP and the central government. The AAP has already accused the central government of using the ED and other agencies to target its political opponents. The summons to Kejriwal is likely to reinforce the AAP’s belief that the central government is using its agencies to target the party.