Will ED Arrest Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi Excise Policy Case?
Will ED Arrest Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi Excise Policy Case?
Now, it is expected that ED will approach the court to get an arrest warrant so that Kejriwal could be arrested in the liquor scandal.
By Rakesh Raman
Delhi chief minister (CM) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal has defied the fifth summons from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) which had called him for questioning on February 2.
It is alleged that Kejriwal is involved in the money laundering case related to Delhi excise policy for the sale of liquor in the city. He was first summoned on November 2, 2023, followed by orders to appear at the ED office on December 21, 2023, January 3, 2024, and January 13, 2024.
Kejriwal and AAP maintain that the ED summonses are illegal and therefore Kejriwal is not required to appear before the ED investigation officers. They also fear that ED might arrest and imprison Kejriwal if he goes to ED office.
Now, it is expected that ED will approach the court to get an arrest warrant so that Kejriwal could be arrested in the liquor scandal in which his other colleagues – including Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh – are already in jail.
In October 2023, while rejecting the bail application of Sisodia, the Supreme Court said there is a possible embezzlement of Rs. 338 crore in the liquor scam case. But the embezzled money has not yet been recovered.
Along with Kejriwal, the other AAP politicians whose names appear in the investigating reports of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the ED are Satyendar Jain, Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh, and Raghav Chadha.
Jain, Sisodia, and Sanjay Singh have already been jailed for their acts of corruption. It is expected that an AAP woman politician who loudly spreads lies in the so-called press conferences will soon be called for interrogation by the law-enforcement agencies.
Similarly, AAP politicians in Punjab led by CM Bhagwant Mann may be arrested and jailed as Sisodia’s dubious Delhi liquor policy is being implemented in Punjab also.
In November last year, a Punjab Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu filed a complaint to the Punjab Governor against the Punjab Government led by Bhagwant Mann.
In his complaint letter, Sidhu raised concerns over the precarious financial situation in Punjab, deteriorating law and order in the state, and lack of accountability in the Bhagwant Mann government.
The president of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) Sukhbir Singh Badal has also urged the Punjab Governor to hold a probe into the alleged Rs. 500-crore liquor policy scam committed by the AAP government in the state.
It is learnt that the investigating agencies have already started questioning some of the Punjab Government functionaries and AAP leaders to know the extent of corruption in the Punjab liquor scandal.
While AAP politicians are apparently involved in multiple corruption scandals, it is expected that some of them named above will soon be behind bars.
In September last year, the CBI launched a preliminary inquiry into alleged irregularities in the construction and renovation of Kejriwal’s house on which the public money in excess of Rs. 45 crore has been squandered. It is a case of misappropriation of public money – which is a serious financial crime allegedly committed by Kejriwal.
Although Kejriwal has refused to obey the ED orders, he will not be able to escape for long as the legal noose is tightening around his neck.
By Rakesh Raman, who is a national award-winning journalist and social activist. He is the founder of the humanitarian organization RMN Foundation which is working in diverse areas to help the disadvantaged and distressed people in the society.
