Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal receives two ED summonses one day after being granted bail

NEW DELHI: After the courts upheld the legality of the ED’s summons to him, the agency sent Arvind Kejriwal, the chief minister of Delhi, a second one, requesting that he participate in both the investigation into the suspected liquor scam and the alleged money laundering involving the Delhi Jal Board (DJB).
Kejriwal is scheduled to appear before investigators in the DJB case on Monday, while the eighth summons in the liquor case is scheduled for March 21.

Kejriwal was forced to appear in court on Saturday after the ED filed a lawsuit against him for obstructing the investigation. Up until that point, he had refused to appear before the ED, calling the summons “illegal and vague.” After providing a bond of Rs. 15,000 and a Rs. 1 lakh guarantee, he was granted bail.
Based on a CBI FIR into claims of bribery against top DJB personnel and AAP officials for giving a contract to NKG Infrastructure despite the company’s failure to meet technical qualifying requirements, the ED began looking into the alleged DJB fraud. In February, Bibhav Kumar, Kejriwal’s personal secretary, and N. D. Gupta, the AAP treasurer, had their homes searched by the agency in relation to the DJB investigation. Regarding Kejriwal’s guests and a few reportedly lost cell phones, Kumar was questioned.
Consequently, the ED said that AAP officials had accepted bribes, which the party subsequently used to win elections.
Senior AAP leader Atishi referred to PM Narendra Modi and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as PM Narendra Modi’s “gunde” on Sunday, claiming that the BJP intended to detain Arvind Kejriwal, the party’s national convener, before the Lok Sabha polls.
Speaking at a news conference, Atishi said that the chief minister has now received summonses from the ED in two separate matters pertaining to the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) and the liquor excise policy. The finance minister of Delhi referred to the DJB case as “fabricated,” pointing out that Kejriwal had previously contested the legality of earlier summonses in the excise policy matter and that further questions over their validity would likely arise.
“ED has issued another summons in the excise policy case, instead of waiting for the court’s ruling,” Atishi said. Kejriwal has been called to appear before the investigating agency on March 21.
With regards to the DJB case, Atishi said that it was entirely made up and that no inquiry had been conducted. Since the BJP’s goal of having Kejriwal arrested in the “fake” excise policy case has not been achieved, a new, fictitious case has been made, and the chief minister has been called. Their only goal is to arrest Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal so that he cannot campaign in the polls, Atishi said.
“ED and the CBI operate as Modi’s goons, pursuing his adversaries.” The income-tax department, CBI, and ED are being used by the Modi government to get rid of Modi’s opponents, she said.
According to Atishi, Kejriwal showed up in person on Saturday at the Rouse Avenue Court and was given bail. She also said that the court will consider whether Kejriwal would have to appear before the ED in light of the summonses. Regarding an ED complaint about CM missing its summonses in the excise policy matter, CM was given bail.
Virendra Sachdeva, the head of the Delhi BJP, countered that while Kejriwal was always breaking the law, the ED was operating independently. Kejriwal’s bail from yesterday is unrelated to the issue involving the liquor policy. He disregarded the summonses, claiming they were unlawful at first, but now that he has posted bond, Sachdeva added, they are legitimate.
Sachdeva expressed dissatisfaction with Atishi’s news conference remarks, stating that the AAP leaders’ behaviour and vocabulary served as a “testament to their character.” Sachdeva said, “It is absurd that the AAP MP and the former deputy chief minister have been in jail for so long for saying that there was no scam in the spirits policy.”
“The jal board scam was bigger than the liquor case,” Kejriwal said in response to a summons in the DJB case. “Four or five officials have already been arrested because money was looted and fake documents were made,” said Sachdeva. Although the work was shown on paper, the actual situation is very different. After contractors were paid, the AAP leaders withheld their commission from that sum.