NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate has issued fresh summons to Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal asking him to appear for questioning on January 3 in the excise policy-linked money-laundering investigation, sources said Friday.
Kejriwal, also the national convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), had refused to appear before the agency despite two earlier summons seeking his appearance before ED on November 2 and December 21.
Kejriwal is currently participating in a 10-day Vipassana meditation course.
He had on Thursday skipped the ED's second summons alleging that they were being issued at the behest of political rivals, who wish to silence the voice of the Opposition.
Kejriwal, in his reply to the summons, has called the fresh summons politically motivated and illegal. He said that he has lived his life transparently and honestly, and has nothing to hide. The CM, who was summoned by the ED for questioning in a money laundering case linked to the Delhi government’s excise policy, had left for the Vipassana meditation course on Wednesday.
Kejriwal termed "the timing of the summons leaves much to desire and strengthens my belief that the summons being sent to me is not based upon any objective or rational yardstick, but purely as a propaganda as well as to create sensational news in the final few months of the much-awaited parliamentary elections in the country".
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"With respect to your earlier summons, I had submitted a detailed response. The relevant contents of my earlier response was that the said summons is not clear as to the capacity in which I am being summoned, that is, as a witness or a suspect in the above-mentioned case. The said summons fails to provide details in relation to the file (F. No. ECIR/HIUII/14/2022), or the reason that I have been summoned therein, or any details thereof. The said summons does not specify whether I am being summoned as an individual or in my official capacity as Chief Minister of Delhi or as National Convenor of Aam Aadmi Party, and appears to be in the nature of a fishing and roving inquiry.
"The said summons appears to be motivated and issued for extraneous considerations. Simultaneous to the summons, in the afternoon of 30.10.2023, BJP leaders started making statements that soon I would be summoned and arrested. By the evening of that day, I received your summons. It is thus apparent that the said summons was leaked to select BJP leaders to malign my image and reputation, and has been issued at the behest of the ruling party at the Centre. Illustratively, BJP MP Manoj Tiwari openly stated in the afternoon of 30.10.2023, that is, the same day on which the said summons have been issued to me, that I will be arrested and the same has been widely reported in the media," stated his reply.
It further said, "I still do not know in which capacity I am being summoned ... You have chosen not to inform me nor provide me details of the case file corresponding to file number mentioned in your summons or the reasons for summoning me, or any details thereof. Your summons appears to be a fishing and roving enquiry. In similar circumstances, where individuals are neither informed about the case details nor the capacity in which they are being summoned by the Enforcement Directorate, High courts have declared such summons of the Enforcement Directorate invalid and quashed the summons."
"I, therefore, once again reiterate my request to you to act with fairness & forthwith revoke, withdraw, and recall the summons forthwith," the CM had added in his response.
