ED heat on Arvind Kejriwal, agency summons him for questioning on Dec 21

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday issued fresh summons to Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal for questioning in the liquor policy scam case.

Arvind Kejriwal has been told to appear before it on December 21 for questioning.

This is the second summon to Delhi CM by the investigative agency.

Earlier, the investigative agency had summoned Arvind Kejriwal to appear before it on November 2 but the latter skipped the summon citing his unavailability due to prior engagements.

A couple of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders have been facing the heat of country’s financial watchdog as latter dug deep into the liquorgate to probe irregularities & illicit financial transactions between liquor mafias and govt functionaries.

Notably, two of top AAP leaders and Kejriwal’s close associates Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh are already in jail after their arrest by the probe agencies in the same case.

Arvind Kejriwal himself has been quizzed by the CBI in connection with alleged liquor scam in April this year.
Kejriwal described the probe into liquorgate as politically motivated and something that was being done with an intention to harass & humiliate them.

He also addressed a press conference after 9-hour questioning by the CBI and informed that he was asked 56 questions by the probe agency.

“CBI questioning was conducted for 9.5 hours. I answered all the questions. The entire alleged liquor scam is false and bad politics. AAP is ‘kattar imaandaar party’. They want to finish AAP but the country’s people are with us,” Kejriwal had said.

For the unversed, any individual can skip summon thrice, failing which the agency can issue a non-bailable warrant.

The Delhi liquor policy case is about AAP government’s new alcohol policy of 2022. The renewed policy though resulted in increased revenue but slew of allegations also surfaced, accusing key AAP functionaries of receiving crores of rupees in kickback from liquor cartels. Reports claimed that earnings from liquor policy was put into Goa
& other elections to meet party expenditures.

After much hue & cry and investigation by the investigative agencies, the policy was scrapped in July last year.