New Delhi, India

Aam Aadmi Party supremo Arvind Kejriwal will not appear before India's Enforcement Directorate on Monday (Feb 26) after the agency issued the seventh summons to the Delhi chief minister, news agency ANI reported citing sources.

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"The matter is in the court and the next hearing is on March 16. Instead of sending summons daily, the ED should wait for the court's decision. We will not leave the INDIA alliance. Modi government should not create pressure like this," a party source said.

"They want us to break the alliance (INDIA). When ED itself has approached the court, then why can't they wait for the court's decision? The matter is in court and they sending summons repeatedly. Informally, we have got messages to break the alliance. We will not leave the INDIA alliance," Kejriwal said.

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The probe agency issued the seventh summons to Kejriwal on Feb 22 in the case related to his government's excise policy.

He was asked to appear before the agency on Feb 26 for questioning related to the money laundering probe in connection with the alleged irregularities in the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22.

The agency had earlier issued a sixth summons to Kejriwal on Feb 14, asking him to join the probe on Feb 19, which he skipped, as he did on the previous occasions.

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In a statement, the AAP reiterated that the summonses sent to Kejriwal were "illegal" and said the issue was "now in court".

"The Enforcement Directorate itself approached the court. Instead of sending summons again and again, the ED should wait for the court's decision," the party said.

"Whatever law is relevant, we are responding. Now, a case has been filed in the (ED) court. The Enforcement Directorate should wait for the result before issuing any fresh summons," Kejriwal told reporters outside the Delhi assembly.

The previous five summons were issued on February 2, January 18, January 3, November 2 and December 22.

Also read: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal summoned by ED for 7th time in excise policy case

Summons are 'illegal and invalid', says Kejriwal 

Earlier, while skipping the fifth summons issued by the ED, Kejriwal had called it "illegal", claiming that the agency's intention was only to arrest him and stop him from campaigning for the elections.

"All five notices sent to me (by the ED) are illegal and invalid in the eyes of the law. Whenever such general, non-specific notices were sent by the ED in the past, they were quashed and declared invalid by courts. These notices are being sent as part of a political conspiracy," Kejriwal said after skipping the fifth notice.

ED had approached Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court and lodged a complaint against Kejriwal on Feb 3 for non-compliance after he skipped the fifth summons.

The Directorate of Enforcement wants to record the Delhi chief minister's statement in the case related to issues about the formation of policy, meetings held before it was finalised, and allegations of bribery.

The case is based on an FIR which alleges that there were multiple irregularities in the formation as well as implementation of the Delhi excise policy (2021-22) by the Central Bureau of Investigation. 

The policy was withdrawn following corruption allegations.

(With inputs from agencies)