Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal ready to face ED, agrees to virtual hearing after March 12

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had directed Kejriwal to appear for questioning on Monday concerning the money laundering case associated with alleged irregularities in the Delhi excise policy for the 2021-22 fiscal year, a policy that has since been nullified.

In response to the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) summons related to the Delhi excise policy case, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, emphasizing that the summons is illegal, has expressed his willingness to respond and has requested a date after March 12. The AAP convenor is expected to attend the hearing via video conferencing.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had directed Kejriwal to appear for questioning on Monday concerning the money laundering case associated with alleged irregularities in the Delhi excise policy for the 2021-22 fiscal year, a policy that has since been nullified. Despite previous summonses, CM Kejriwal had refrained from attending on all seven occasions.

Facing a complaint from the ED for non-compliance with its summons, Kejriwal has been exempted from personal appearance until March 16, as ruled by a Delhi court. During this period, he participated in court proceedings virtually, citing his engagement in the ongoing Budget session of the Delhi assembly.

The ED alleges that leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) received bribes amounting to ₹100 crores linked to the 2021-22 excise policy, which was implemented in November 2021. Following the annulment of the policy on the recommendation of Lieutenant-Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena, a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the purported irregularities was initiated.

In its charge sheets, the ED contends that the excise policy was conceptualized by Arvind Kejriwal, although formal charges against him are yet to be filed. The case under ED investigation originated from a First Information Report (FIR) that highlighted numerous irregularities in the formulation and execution of the Delhi Excise Policy (2021-22), leading to the policy's withdrawal amid corruption allegations.

In its sixth charge sheet filed on December 2, 2023, the ED implicated AAP leader Sanjay Singh and his associate Sarvesh Mishra. Allegedly, the AAP utilized kickbacks totaling Rs 45 crore, purportedly derived from the policy, as part of its electoral campaign in Goa during the 2022 assembly elections.

Two prominent AAP figures, Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh, are already in judicial custody as part of this case. Sisodia, the former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister, was apprehended by the CBI on February 26, while Singh, a Rajya Sabha member, was arrested by the ED on October 5.