Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will skip appearance before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on December 21 for the second time in connection with the alleged Delhi excise policy case. Delhi government officials said on Saturday that Kejriwal will leave for a 10-day Vipassana meditation course starting December 19 at an undisclosed location.
Kejriwal was first called by the federal agency to appear on November 2, but he did not depose citing concerns that the notice was “vague, motivated, and unsustainable in law.”
The ED’s summons to Kejriwal is linked to inquiries into the irregularities surrounding the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy 2021-22. Officials state that he has been summoned for recording his statement under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
The excise policy in question faced allegations that it facilitated cartelisation and exhibited favouritism towards certain liquor traders who were accused of providing bribes. These allegations have been consistently refuted by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
The policy was subsequently scrapped, and the Delhi Lieutenant Governor recommended a CBI probe, prompting the ED to register a case under the PMLA.
(With inputs from PTI)