|
Hours after the Rouse Avenue Court issued summons to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and directed him to appear before the court on February 17, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said that the party will inform the court how all the Enforcement Directorate (ED) summons were illegal.
"We are studying the court order and will take action as per the law. We will inform the court how all Enforcement Directorate summons were illegal," AAP said. The Rouse Avenue Court on Wednesday took cognizance of the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) recent complaint filed against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for not complying with the summons issued by the central probe agency in the Delhi liquor policy money laundering case. Reacting to the court summons, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa said that it is a "victory of truth". "Arvind Kejriwal has been summoned by the court on 17th Feb. This victory of the truth. He used to say that ED summons were illegal. After Lalu Yadav, Arvind Kejriwal will be the serving CM who will be in jail for the longest time," Sirsa said. The ED on Saturday filed a fresh complaint case under sections 190 (1)(a) and 200 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, Section 174 of the Indian Penal Code, Section 63 (4) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), for non-attendance in compliance of Section 50 of PMLA. On February 2, Kejriwal skipped the Enforcement Directorate's summons for the fifth time in connection with the money laundering probe related to irregularities in the Delhi excise policy 2021-22 case. The fresh summons to the Delhi Chief Minister followed the fourth summons, which he had skipped on January 18.While skipping the fifth summons, the party called it "unlawful." Kejriwal has so far skipped four previous summons issued by the ED on January 18, January 3, November 2, and December 22, calling them "illegal and politically motivated." According to the ED, the agency wants to record Kejriwal's statement in the case on issues like the formulation of policy, meetings held before it was finalized, and allegations of bribery. In its sixth charge sheet filed in the case on December 2, 2023, naming AAP leader Sanjay Singh and his aide Sarvesh Mishra, the ED has claimed that the AAP used kickbacks worth Rs 45 crore generated via the policy as part of its assembly elections campaign in Goa in 2022. The excise policy was aimed at revitalizing the city's flagging liquor business and replacing a sales-volume-based regime with a licence fee for traders. It promised swankier stores and a better buying experience. The policy introduced discounts and offers on the purchase of liquor for the first time in Delhi. (ANI)
|
