NEW DELHI: According to the AAP, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will not be questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday about a purported money laundering case related to the now-canceled Delhi excise scheme. On Wednesday, Kejriwal received a fifth summons from the ED, following his disregard for four previous ones that were sent out during the previous four months. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) declared that Kejriwal will not come before the agency to be questioned. The party called the summons “illegal” and claimed that Kejriwal is receiving frequent reminders from the ED to appear in court. The AAP further claimed that Kejriwal’s incarceration is part of the BJP’s plan to overthrow Delhi’s government. It asserted that the AAP would not allow this to occur. However, the chief minister of Delhi is expected to participate in an AAP protest outside the BJP headquarters here at 11:00 a.m. Kejriwal disregarded the ED summonses for this year’s January 3 and December 21 as well as November 2 and December 21 of 2023. These notifications were deemed “illegal” by him. The Delhi government’s excise policy for 2021–22, which granted licences to liquor dealers, is accused of enabling cartelization and favouring some dealers who had reportedly paid bribes for it—a allegation that the AAP has always denied. After the scheme was abandoned, Delhi LG VK Saxena suggested a CBI investigation, and the ED filed a case in accordance with the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
