"Delhi Jal Board has massive corruption," says Delhi BJP Chief as ED issues fresh summons to Kejriwal

"This is not a new case. Delhi Jal Board has massive corruption. This issue is bigger than the Liquor Scam...Arvind Kejriwal will have to answer," said Delhi BJP President Virendraa Sachdeva.

The summons was issued to Kejriwal on Saturday evening under Section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) as part of ED's ongoing probe into the illegal tendering in DJB and the laundering of alleged proceeds of crime.

Meanwhile, BJP leader Bansuri Swaraj said that Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal has disrespected the eight summons of the Enforcement Directorate.

"CM Arvind Kejriwal is well-educated and so as his cabinet ministers, however, when it comes to the law, his knowledge is zero...The investigation that is underway, is in connection with a liquor scam as the allegations are grave. The charges say that AAP leaders have taken 100 crore kickbacks...The Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, has disrespected the 8 summons of the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The petition that has been filed by ED in court under IPC's section 174...The proceeding has nothing to do with the fact that ED summons are 'legal or illegal'...He (Arvind Kejriwal) has himself invited this case against him...." said BJP leader BAnsuri Swaraj.

Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party leader and Delhi Minister Atishi claimed on Sunday that the case is 'fake', adding that the party is not aware of the case registered by the ED in this matter.

"Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal received another summons yesterday evening by the ED...They have asked him to join some investigations related to the Delhi Jal Board. We are unaware of the case registered by the ED in this matter," she said.

In February this year, ED arrested a retired chief engineer, Jagdish Kumar Arora, and a contractor, Anil Kumar Aggarwal, in connection with its money laundering probe into alleged irregularities in the tendering process of the DJB.

ED is investigating two separate matters of irregularities in the tendering process of the DJB, and its criminal case stems from an FIR of the CBI and from the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) of the Delhi government.

The CBI FIR alleged that officials of the DJB gave "undue advantage" to NKG Infrastructure Limited while awarding the tender to the company for supply, installation, testing, and commissioning of electro-magnetic flow metres in connivance with officials of NBCC (lndia) Limited.

The second allegation pertains to the ACB complaint of November 2022, where it was stated that DJB awarded a tender for setting up automotive bill payment collection machines (kiosks) in its different offices to facilitate consumers in bill payment.

Besides this summons, ED has also issued a ninth summons to Kejriwal in a money laundering probe related to irregularities in the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 case, asking him to join the investigation on March 21.

The move comes after Kejriwal's first appearance before the city's Rouse Avenue Court physically in connection with the Delhi Excise Policy case, as the agency earlier filed two complaints against him in court complaining of disobeying their summonses to join the probe in the Delhi excise policy case. The court later granted him bail in the case filed by the agency for skipping its summonses.

Kejriwal got bail on a bail bond of Rs 15,000 in the case of complaints filed by ED. He is on bail and has been asked by the court to respond to the ED summons and obey the law. The court directed the Dehi Chief Minister that following the law is appropriate for a person who has taken the oath of the Constitution

Kejriwal has so far skipped eight previous summons issued by the ED in the Delhi Excise Policy case on March 4, February 26, February 19, February 2, January 18, January 3, November 2 and December 22, calling them "illegal and politically motivated". The ED wants to record Kejriwal's statement in the case on issues like the formulation of policy, meetings held before it was finalised, and allegations of bribery. (ANI)