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

India's Enforcement Directorate issued a seventh summons to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday (Feb 22) in the case related to his government's excise policy.

He has been asked by the probe agency to appear before it on February 26 for questioning with regardsto the excise-policy-linked money laundering case.

The investigation is linked to the money laundering probe in connection to the alleged irregularities in the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 case.

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 in the previous occasions.

The previous five summons were issued February 2, January 18, January 3, November 2 and December 22, dubbing them "illegal and politically motivated".

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 issued.

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The policy was withdrawn following corruption allegations.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)