Arvind Kejriwal likely to skip ED summons today in connection with the excise policy case

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who was scheduled to appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the excise policy case today, is likely to skip the summons issued to him, sources told India Today TV.

However, the ED is yet to receive an official letter from Kejriwal, in the matter.

On Thursday, he demanded the ED withdraw its notice, summoning him for questioning, claiming it was "illegal and politically motivated". The AAP chief alleged that the summons was sent at the request of the BJP.

“The summon notice is illegal and politically motivated. This notice has been sent at the behest of BJP. The notice was sent so that I could be stopped from going and campaigning in four states. ED should withdraw the notice immediately,” said Kejriwal.

According to sources, Kejriwal and Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann are leaving for Madhya Pradesh on Thursday in the run-up to the Assembly polls.

All about the excise policy case

Delhi CM was summoned by ED for questioning in a money laundering case linked to the alleged excise policy scam. Kejriwal has been summoned in the same case in which his former Deputy Manish Sisodia and AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh have been arrested. He was asked to depose at the ED's Delhi office at 11 am on November 2.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate are probing the Delhi government's now-scrapped excise policy for 2021-22 that allegedly favoured certain liquor dealers, an allegation that the AAP has strongly denied.

Based on a report of the chief secretary of the Delhi government, Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena recommended a CBI probe in July last year into alleged irregularities in the formulation and implementation of the policy.

The report cited various alleged irregularities including a waiver of Rs 144 crore to the retail licensees under the policy in the name of COVID-19-impacted sales and a refund of Rs 30 crore to a successful bidder for the airport zone who failed to obtain a no objection certificate for opening liquor stores there, officials said.

Another allegation was that the commission of wholesale licensees was raised from five per cent to 12 per cent in an instance of "quid pro quo", they added.

(With inputs from Munish Chandra Pandey, Pankaj Jain, agencies)

Also Read: Arvind Kejriwal says ED summon is ‘politically motivated’, to stop his campaign in four states