- Arvind Kejriwal has declined to appear before India’s financial crimes agency.
- The state’s now-scrapped liquor policy is the subject of an investigation by the Enforcement Directorate.
- In a money laundering case, Delhi’s ED detained former health minister Satyendra Jain in May.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has referred to the summons as “vague and motivated,” and he has declined to appear before India’s financial crimes agency to answer questions in connection with an alleged corruption case.
The state’s now-scrapped liquor policy is the subject of an investigation by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Kejriwal has requested that they “recall the summons” because he needs to conduct his campaigning for the crucial upcoming assembly elections in addition to carrying out his official duties as chief minister.
Corruption case
Legal experts state that a person is permitted to disregard an ED summons three times. Subsequently, the ED may obtain a non-bailable warrant directing Mr. Kejriwal to appear in court on a designated date. He may be taken into custody if he fails to appear. As an alternative, he can ask for anticipatory bail or contest the summons in court.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the premier investigative body in India, and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) have reported irregularities in the formulation and execution of Delhi’s liquor policy.
The AAP government put the policy into effect in 2021, but it was removed in less than a year. Authorities claim it favored specific alcohol vendors and that the AAP utilized money obtained illegally to finance a political campaign; the AAP has vehemently refuted these claims.
The federal government has been accused of political vendetta by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and the BJP of engaging in corrupt practices to further its political agenda.
For the AAP, which was born out of a significant anti-corruption movement more than ten years ago, questions of corruption are a sensitive subject. About the case, Kejriwal was questioned by the CBI for nine hours in April.
In a money laundering case, Delhi’s ED detained former health minister Satyendra Jain in May. Similarly, party MP Sanjay Singh and former deputy chief minister Sisodia were detained in February and March, respectively. Courts have denied their bail requests.
In a related money laundering investigation, the ED also searched the home and nine other locations of Delhi Social Welfare Minister Raaj Kumar Anand before Mr. Kejriwal’s questioned appearance.
