ED issues fifth summons to Arvind Kejriwal in excise policy money laundering case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has issued fresh summons to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for his questioning in the Delhi excise policy linked money laundering case, official sources said January 31. This is the fifth summon to the politician.

Mr. Kejriwal, also the national convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), has skipped four earlier summons issued by the federal agency for January 18 and January 3 and November 2 and December 21 in 2023. He had called these notices "illegal". It is understood that the fresh summons was for February 2.

It is alleged that the Delhi Government's excise policy for 2021-22 to grant licences to liquor traders allowed cartelisation and favoured certain dealers who had allegedly paid bribes for it, a charge repeatedly refuted by the AAP.

The policy was subsequently scrapped and Delhi Lt Governor V.K. Saxena recommended a CBI probe, following which the ED registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).