On Wednesday, the ED approached the court against the Delhi Chief Minister and said that Kejriwal has been avoiding them despite repeated summonses for questioning in the excise corruption case. Delhi Chief Minister and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal has been summoned in the excise case. However, this time it was not the central investigating agency ED, but the Rouse Avenue court in Delhi summoned him. Kejriwal was sent a summons on Thursday and told that he will have to appear in court on March 16.
ED filed a complaint against Kejriwal in Rouse Avenue court on Wednesday. It has been alleged by the investigating agency that Kejriwal has been evading summonses for questioning in the Delhi Excise corruption case. According to ED, Kejriwal is going to government functions, is staying for the party's election campaign. Can't just attend the ED office! The day after hearing the ED's statement, on Thursday, the court said that Kejriwal will have to appear on March 16. Incidentally, this is not the first time, the ED approached the court on the same complaint earlier.
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The ED approached the court against him after he evaded the ED's summons for the fifth time in the Delhi Excise corruption case. The petition was filed on February 3, alleging non-cooperation in the investigation against the Delhi Chief Minister. In the hearing of the case on February 7, Judge Divya Malhotra ordered that the AP chief should appear in court and answer.
ED has summoned Kejriwal eight times in excise case. But every time he avoided attendance. However, Kejriwal said last Monday that he wants to answer ED's questions after March 12. Kejriwal's party AAP has informed that after March 12, Kejriwal wants to appear and face the interrogation of ED through video conference. However, according to the ED, interrogation is not conducted through video conference. So Kejriwal has to attend in person. Amid this tension, the court asked Kejriwal to appear in person.
So far, two senior AAP leaders, former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh have been arrested and sent to Tihar Jail in the Delhi Excise corruption case. Allegedly, the Delhi government's excise policy for 2021-22 was favoring several liquor traders. Those who paid bribes to formulate this policy were being facilitated. The AAP government did not accept that complaint. That policy, however, was later abandoned.