Will the ED’s fourth summons also go to waste today? Doubts remain over Kejriwal’s appearance

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is embroiled in the alleged liquor scam case, is still doubtful about joining the questioning on the fourth notice of the Enforcement Directorate  (ED). However, he said that he would decide on this as per law. According to sources, Kejriwal will be on a planned three-day visit to Goa (January 18 to  20).   

Kejriwal had refused to appear before the ED on January 3 citing preparations for the Rajya Sabha elections for the third time and Republic Day. Kejriwal had questioned the ED’s motive and cited “legal objections”  to the summons.

The AAP alleges that the notice for questioning is served to the Chief Minister only when he is on an election tour so that he can be weaned away from preparations for the Lok Sabha elections. The ED issued him a fourth notice in the alleged liquor scam and called him for questioning on January 18.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday did not give indications about appearing before the ED in connection with the alleged liquor scam. In this case, in response to a media question in a program on Wednesday, he said that he was taking legal opinion and according to the opinion, he will take the next step. For this reason, the picture about his appearance before the ED will be clear only on Thursday morning. He is scheduled to leave for Goa on Thursday.

The ED had summoned the chief minister to appear on January 18  last week, but so far there has been no indication about his appearance. Aam Aadmi Party leaders have been saying for several days that the Chief Minister is taking opinions from lawyers regarding the ED summons.

The ED summoned Kejriwal for questioning on January 18  in its fourth summons

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who was summoned by the ED for the fourth time for failing to appear before it even after being summoned three times in connection with a liquor scam case, said he will do whatever is required to be done as per law. In its fourth summons, the ED summoned Kejriwal for questioning on January 18.

Kejriwal to embark on three-day visit to Goa

Sources in the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Delhi government on Wednesday said he is unlikely to appear before the ED as he is scheduled to visit Goa on a three-day visit to review AAP’s preparations for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

According to the information,  Arvind Kejriwal is scheduled to leave for Goa today to take stock of the preparations of the Aam Aadmi Party for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections 2024. Asked about the summons, the Aam Aadmi Party and Arvind Kejriwal termed it “illegal”.  He has ignored the ED summons three times before. The CM said that he will do whatever has to be done according to the law.

According to news agency PTI, Kejriwal is unlikely to appear before the agency today as he is scheduled to leave for Goa on a three-day visit. Earlier, Kejriwal was scheduled to leave for Goa on January 11, but he postponed it to monitor Delhi’s preparations for the Republic Day.

Kejriwal likely to visit Goa today along with AAP leaders

Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal is scheduled to visit Goa for the next three days from January 18. Kejriwal will be here from January 18 to 20 along with Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann and MPs Raghav Chadha and Sandeep Pathak  .

 The senior AAP leader will meet party MLAs and office-bearers during his visit ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.  AAP has two MLAs in the Goa Assembly — Venji Vegas (Benaulim) and Cruz Silva (Velim).  

AAP can send a reply to the ED

Arvind Kejriwal said on Wednesday that he will do whatever is right according to the law. However, even before this, Kejriwal has not appeared before the ED on three summons. The Enforcement Directorate had summoned Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for questioning for the fourth time last week on January  18. It is likely that for the fourth time too, he will send his written reply to the ED, bypassing the summons.

“We will do whatever is required under the law,” Kejriwal, who arrived at an event on Wednesday, said in response to a question on the ED summons. He did not clarify whether he would appear before the ED or not, but from the indications received from Aam Aadmi Party sources, it seems that till the ED clarifies in front of Arvind Kejriwal in what capacity he is being called for questioning and after taking his answer by sending questions in writing,  he will appear personally for questioning Why is the CM insisting, till then the CM will not appear before the ED.

AAP can also approach the Supreme Court

Last week, for the fourth time, the ED issued a summons to the Delhi CM and asked him to appear before the agency on January  18. However, once again he is likely not to appear before the ED. Earlier, Delhi Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj had also said that whatever he does, it will be done as per the advice of the law and legal advisor.

The Delhi CM’s name has been mentioned several times in the charge sheet filed by the ED in the excise case. The agency has alleged that there was cartelization in granting licenses to liquor traders for the Delhi government’s Excise Policy  2021-22  and favored some dealers who had allegedly paid bribes for the same, though the Aam Aadmi Party has repeatedly denied the charge.

Given the attitude of the ED, the Aam Aadmi Party can also approach the Supreme Court to legally defend the CM. Kejriwal will also embark on a three-day visit to Goa from Thursday to review the party’s preparations for the Lok Sabha polls. In such a situation, a written reply to the summons will likely be sent to the ED on behalf of the CM.

“We will do what has to be done as per law,” Kejriwal said at an event in Delhi on Wednesday, days after receiving the fourth summons.  The first summons was sent to Kejriwal on November 2 but he did not go. The second summons was sent to him on December 21.

CM Kejriwal did not appear before the ED even after that summons. The third summons, issued on January 3, was said to be illegal. It said the summons was politically motivated. On the third summons, the Aam Aadmi Party had said that Arvind Kejriwal wants to cooperate in the investigation but this summons of the ED is related to politics.

The fourth summons was sent to Kejriwal on January 13. He has been asked to appear before the court on January 18 to cooperate with the investigation.

Similarly, the chief minister also told the media on Wednesday that he was taking legal opinion. Apart from this, AAP has not sent a message to its leaders and workers to gather anywhere in the New Delhi area on Thursday morning. Therefore, like the last three times, the possibility of the Chief Minister appearing before the ED seems low.

‘ED summons was said to be illegal’

Earlier, the ED had sent a third summons to Kejriwal to appear on January 3, but he called the  ED’s summons illegal and did not appear.  Kejriwal had also sent a letter to the ED.

What did Kejriwal say in a letter to the ED on January 3

• There is no information in the ED summons to explain why I was summoned.
• It is not clear in the summons whether I have been summoned by the ED in person as the Chief Minister of Delhi or as the convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party?
• Such summons without clear information have been declared illegal by the court in the past and have also been canceled by the court.
• Kejriwal also mentioned the preoccupation with the Rajya Sabha elections in three seats of Delhi.
• Being the Chief Minister, he also cited being busy with preparations for 26 January.
• Kejriwal also raised the issue of ED summons being leaked to the media and asked- Is the motive by the ED to tarnish my image?
• Kejriwal had also asked the reason for calling the ED in the inquiry and also asked for written questions from the ED.
• Kejriwal had told the  ED that I was ready to join every kind of investigation according to the law. However, the  ED’s silence raises many questions.
• Kejriwal had also said that the  ED  does not have a concrete reason and justification to send a summons.
• Kejriwal had also advised the  ED  to act more transparently under the law.

The Chief Minister has questioned the ED’s three summons that came earlier. He sent a written reply to the ED three times and termed his summons illegal. He said three times that the reason for summoning him to the ED was not clear. Once she clarifies the situation in her summons, he will consider appearing before her. He had also suggested sending written questions to the ED last time.

Al Last From aAditri Digital

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s ongoing tussle with the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the alleged liquor scam case reflects a complex legal and political scenario. Despite receiving a fourth notice for questioning, Kejriwal remains uncertain about his appearance before the ED. Citing legal considerations, he emphasizes a commitment to abiding by the law in deciding his course of action.

Kejriwal’s decision to embark on a pre-planned three-day visit to Goa adds another layer to the situation. The AAP alleges that the ED’s repeated summonses coincide with crucial political events, hinting at a possible political motive. Kejriwal’s reluctance to comply with the ED’s summons and his assertion that he will respond with legal advice suggest a cautious approach.

The ED’s accusations of cartelization in the liquor licensing process and favoritism raise serious legal questions, and Kejriwal’s repeated assertion of responding in a legally sound manner underscores the importance of due process. The possibility of sending a written reply instead of a personal appearance before the ED further underscores the complexity of the situation.