Arvind Kejriwal Skips ED Summons As The Probe Agency Raids Delhi Minister Raaj Kumar Anand
The ED had summoned Kejriwal for questioning in a money laundering case linked to liquor policy. Kejriwal was supposed to depose at the probe agency's Delhi office at 11 a.m.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday skipped the summons by the Enforcement Directorate for questioning in connection with the liquor policy case.
The ED had summoned Kejriwal for questioning in a money laundering case linked and was supposed to depose at the probe agency's Delhi office at 11 a.m. on Thursday.
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Why Kejriwal skipped ED summons
The Delhi CM, who left for Madhya Pradesh for election campaigning for the AAP there, had earlier written a letter to the ED asking to take back the summons to him, calling it "illegal and politically motivated".
He claimed that the ED's notice was "illegal and politically motivated, sent at the behest of the BJP," and asked the probe agency to "take back the notice immediately".
"The said summons does not specify whether I am being summoned as an individual or in my official capacity as Chief Minister of Delhi or as National Convener of AAP and appears to be in the nature of a fishing and roving inquiry," Kejriwal said in the two-page letter to the ED.
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What happens if ED summons are skipped
A person can skip ED summons a maximum of three times, after which the ED can get a non-bailable warrant. The ED can also issue summons under the stringent Prevention of Money Laundering Act, or PMLA.
Why ED is raiding Delhi Minister Raaj Kumar Anand
Meanwhile, the ED on Thursday conducted raids at the residence of AAP leader and Delhi Labour and Employment Minister Raaj Kumar Anand in the Civil Lines area of the national capital.
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According to reports, the raids at the residence of Anand, a first-term MLA from Patel Nagar assembly constituency, are related to a money laundering case.
How Delhi Excise Policy became political
The AAP and BJP have been at odds for some time over the probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate into the Delhi excise policy for 2021-22 that allegedly favoured certain liquor dealers.
Two top AAP leaders, former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and another Kejriwal confidant, MP Sanjay Singh, have been arrested in connection with the case.
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What is Delhi Excise Policy case?
It is alleged that the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government's excise policy for 2021-22 allowed cartelisation and favoured certain dealers who had allegedly paid bribes for it.
Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena had recommended a CBI probe in July last year into alleged irregularities in the formulation and implementation of the policy.
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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.
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Bobins Abraham is the Assistant News Editor at Indiatimes. He has more than twelve years of experience in TV and digital journalism. An avid student of history and geopolitics, he is a conservationist and environmentalist at heart. He writes on environment, sustainability, human-animal conflict and more.
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