'Illegal, Politically Motivated': Kejriwal On ED Summons In Delhi Excise Case

Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi, has reportedly asserted that the summons issued to him by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) are both unlawful and politically motivated.

Kejriwal, who is scheduled to be questioned by the ED on 21 December in connection with the Delhi excise case, will not be present as he commenced a 10-day Vipassana meditation retreat in Punjab on 20 December, as reported by The Hindu.

Furthermore, Kejriwal has formally requested the ED to retract the summons.

"Kejriwal called the fresh summons politically motivated and illegal. In his reply, he said that he has lived his life through transparency and honesty and has nothing to hide. He said he is ready to accept any legal summons," AAP sources said, NDTV reported.

The ED had initially summoned the AAP chief on 2 November for his statement in the Delhi excise policy case, marking the second time he has been called in for questioning in this matter.

Notably, Kejriwal did not appear for the first summons issued by the ED on 2 November.

Earlier, CBI had questioned the Delhi Chief Minister for nine hours in April.

Two senior AAP leaders — Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh — are already under judicial custody in the case.

Sisodia, who was the then Delhi Deputy Chief Minister, was arrested by the CBI on 26 February following several rounds of questioning and on 5 October, the ED arrested Singh, who is a Rajya Sabha member.