Kejriwal Urges ED To 'Recall' Summons Issued To Him In Delhi Excise Policy Case

On Thursday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal did not appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and instead traveled to Singrauli in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh for a roadshow with Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann.

Arvind Kejriwal was summoned by the central agency on Thursday for questioning regarding the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy case.

Earlier this year in April, the Aam Aadmi Party convenor was also questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in relation to the excise policy case.

In a letter to the Assistant Director of the ED, Kejriwal expressed his concerns regarding the summons he received. He pointed out that the summons did not clearly state whether he was being summoned as a witness or a suspect in the case.

"The said summons is not clear as to the capacity in which I am being summoned i.e. as a witness or a suspect in the above-mentioned case… (It) does not specify whether I am being summoned as an individual or in my official capacity as Chief Minister of Delhi or as National Convenor of AAP and appears to be in the nature of a fishing and roving inquiry," the Delhi CM wrote, Indian Express reported.

Kejriwal claimed that the summons he received seemed to be influenced by the BJP. He pointed out that BJP leaders had already been making statements earlier in the day about his impending summons and arrest, and by the evening, he received the summons.

“The said summons appear to be motivated and issued for extraneous considerations. Simultaneous to the summons, in the afternoon of 30.10.2023, BJP leaders started making statements that soon I would be summoned and arrested. By the evening of that day, I received your summons," he said.

“It is thus apparent that the said summons was leaked to select BJP leaders to malign my image and reputation and has been issued at the behest of the ruling party at the Centre. Illustratively, BJP MP Sh. Manoj Tiwari openly stated in the afternoon of 30.10.2023, i.e. the same day on which the said summons have been issued to me, that I will be arrested and the same has been widely reported in the media,” he added.

Kejriwal, who is set to address a road show in MP on Thursday, said he was the AAP’s star campaigner ahead of the Assembly polls.

“I am the incumbent Chief Minister of the Govt. of NCT of Delhi and National Convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party, i.e. the ruling party in the State of NCT of Delhi and Punjab. The fact that there are five states in the country, ie Mizoram, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, and Telangana, which are going to election shortly and the Election Commission has already announced the dates. Elections are in November and the results will be announced on December 3, 2023," the AAP chief wrote.

Kejriwal further added that as the National Convenor and a prominent campaigner for the Aam Aadmi Party, a national political party participating in elections, he has the responsibility of traveling for campaign purposes and providing political guidance to the party field workers.

"As the Chief Minister of the State of NCT of Delhi, I have governance and official commitments, for which my presence is required, particularly in view of the Diwali festivities coming up in the second week of November 2023," he wrote.

Asking that summons be recalled, the Delhi CM wrote, “In view of the above, please recall the said summons, which is, to say the least, is vague and motivated and, I am advised, unsustainable in law.”