It appears that the ongoing feud between the Aam Admi Party and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) shows no sign of abating. In the most recent development, the ED summoned the Chief Minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, to which he responded with a letter declining the summons, citing the necessity to travel for political campaigning in the lead-up to Diwali.
Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi, will not be appearing before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) as planned today. Instead, he will be participating in a roadshow alongside Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann in Singrauli, Madhya Pradesh.
In his statement, he asserted, "As the National Convener and a star campaigner of the AAP, I am required to travel for campaigning and to provide political guidance to my field workers of AAP. As the CM of Delhi, I have governance and official commitments, particularly with Diwali approaching...Please recall the said summons, which is, to say the least, vague and motivated and unsustainable in law."
The ED summoned Kejriwal for questioning in a money laundering case related to the alleged excise policy scam.
This case also resulted in the denial of bail to Delhi's former Deputy Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader, Manish Sisodia, by the Supreme Court.
The AAP has claimed that the central government is orchestrating the ED's notice, alleging that "the notice from the ED is politically motivated, sent by the BJP."
Raghav Chadha, a senior member of the AAP, expressed concerns that "agencies of the BJP" are plotting to arrest Arvind Kejriwal.
He added, "The BJP's plan is to put Arvind Kejriwal behind bars and win 7 Lok Sabha seats in Delhi."
On the other hand, Harish Khurana, a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party, stated, "The law is doing its work. The ED has summoned him under the law.
Two days ago, the Supreme Court observation regarding Manish Sisodia's bail stated that there is a money trail of Rs 338 crore. Arvind Kejriwal has to answer this because it is not possible that there is a money trail and he is not aware of it."
1. But if you think, things ended here, then you're wrong. This is just the beginning...
In August 2023, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) initiated a case against Manish Sisodia, and 15 others including former excise officials, and business figures.
2. Following the CBI's case, Manish Sisodia, who had served as the Deputy Chief Minister and excise minister, was arrested in February 2023 by the ED.
He then resigned from the Delhi cabinet as a result of these legal proceedings.
3. Sisodia sought bail in both the CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED) cases, but his bail applications were denied by the Delhi High Court. The court considered him a "high-profile" individual with the potential to influence witnesses.
4. When Sisodia appealed the high court's decision to the Supreme Court, the Supreme Court also rejected his plea recently. As a result, he remains in custody.
5. But he was not alone, in October 2023, Sanjay Singh, a member of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the Rajya Sabha, was arrested in connection with the excise policy case (by the ED). However, Sanjay cited that it was political motives behind his arrest.
Similar to Sisodia, the Delhi High Court refused to provide relief, citing a lack of evidence to substantiate his claims. Singh is presently in judicial custody, with the court scheduled to review the necessity of his continued custody on November 10.
6. And now, it looks like the ED wants to talk to Kejriwal regarding the excise scam, and well Kejriwal does not. Btw, Arvind Kejriwal was previously summoned by the CBI in April 2023.
READ MORE: Why the CBI raided Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia's house
READ MORE: CBI's 56 questions for Arvind Kejriwal, and a missing file