It was late at night on January 3 when Delhi ministers Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj raised an alarm, saying that they had received information suggesting that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) would raid Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's house on the next morning. There were concerns raised about the possibility of Kejriwal being arrested.
"News coming in that ED is going to raid @ArvindKejriwal’s residence tmrw morning. Arrest likely," Delhi's Law and PWD Minister Atishi wrote on X at 11.50pm on January 3. Two minutes later, Delhi Health Minister Bharadwaj posted the same information in Hindi, stating, "Got to know ED will be reaching Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal's house tomorrow morning and is likely to arrest him."
News coming in that ED is going to raid @ArvindKejriwal’s residence tmrw morning. Arrest likely.— Atishi (@AtishiAAP) January 3, 2024
In the wake of Kejriwal's decision to skip his scheduled appearance before the ED for the third time on January 3, late-night claims emerged, saying the investigative agency's summons as "motivated".
The Delhi CM is scheduled to hold a press conference at noon on January 4 to address the issue of ED summons in connection with the liquor policy case, news agency ANI reported.
The Delhi CM asserted that the summons were a ploy to keep him away from the campaign trail ahead of the parliamentary elections. He cited his engagement with the Rajya Sabha elections and his busy schedule overseeing preparations for the Republic Day as reasons for not appearing before the agency.
Also read: Kejriwal skips ED summons, AAP accuses agency of working for BJP
In a five-page response to the ED, Kejriwal asserted that the summons seemed akin to a "fishing and roving inquiry", crticising the ED. "As a premier investigating agency of the country, the non-disclosure and non-response approach adopted by you cannot sustain the test of law, equity, or justice. Your obstinacy tantamount to assuming the role of judge, jury, and executioner at the same time," it said.
Kejriwal had been summoned twice before, and on both instances, he avoided questioning by citing various reasons. Initially, he cited his busy schedule with the Assembly polls, and later, he mentioned his participation in a Vipassana retreat as the reason for not appearing before the agency.
VIDEO | Visuals from Aam Aadmi Party office in #Delhi.Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday skipped the third summons by the #ED in connection with the Delhi excise policy case and cited Rajya Sabha polls, Republic Day preparations and the probe agency's "non-disclosure and… pic.twitter.com/kuIQMpPCNR
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) January 4, 2024
Also read: AAP to launch 'Main Bhi Kejriwal' public dialogue campaign from January 4
The BJP strongly criticised Kejriwal for his persistent avoidance of summons from the ED. The party asserted that, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, every "corrupt leader" would face consequences for their wrongdoings. Additionally, the saffron party questioned why Kejriwal had not taken legal recourse if he believed the actions against him were politically motivated.
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