A Delhi court on Wednesday issued summons to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on a plea by Enforcement Directorate (ED) which moved the Court alleging that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader was not complying with the central agency's summons in the Delhi excise policy scam case.
Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Divya Malhotra of the Rouse Avenue Courts today pronounced her order saying she has taken cognisance of the ED's complaint and summons is being issued to Kejriwal.
Kejriwal had chosen not to appear before the central agency despite issuance of the five summons to him on different dates in connection with the probe into the alleged scam.Senior AAP leaders like Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh are already in custody in the same case.AAP has termed the summons issued by ED as "politically motivated" and also claimed that the central agency was planning to arrest the Chief Minister.The ED’s probe into money laundering contentions stems from a case registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on August 17, 2022 in connection with alleged irregularities in the Delhi Excise Policy for 2021-22. The CBI case was registered on a complaint made by Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena on July 20, 2022. The ED subsequently registered a case on the money laundering angle against the accused persons on August 22, 2022.It has been alleged that a criminal conspiracy was hatched by AAP leaders, including former Deputy Chief Minister Sisodia and other unidentified and unnamed private persons/entities during the stage of the policy’s formulation.The conspiracy, it has been alleged, stemmed from some of the loopholes “intentionally” left or created in the policy. These were allegedly meant to favour some licensees and conspirators post the tender process.Kickbacks are alleged to have been paid through hawala channels by a few persons in the liquor business from South India to some public servants of the AAP to achieve the objectives of “monopoly and cartelisation” among liquor manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers, according to the central agencies.
TAGS: Delhi Court Summons Arvind Kejriwal Enforcement Directorate (ED) Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)
