New Delhi, Jan 4:
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday skipped the third summons by the ED in connection with the Delhi excise policy case and cited Rajya Sabha polls, Republic Day preparations and the probe agency’s “non-disclosure and non-response approach” as reasons for not appearing before it.
In a letter addressed to the Enforcement Directorate, the AAP leader also said that he would be “happy to answer” any questionnaire sent by it. Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) claimed that the summonses were sent with the intention to arrest him.
Asserting that the ED has refused to even acknowledge the receipt of his detailed submissions made in response to earlier notices to him, Kejriwal said, “as a premier investigating agency of the country, the ‘non-disclosure and non-response approach adopted by you cannot sustain the test of law, equity or justice.” “Your obstinacy tantamounts to assuming the role of judge, jury and executioner at the same time which is not acceptable in our country governed by the rule of law,” the chief minister said in his reply to the summons.
The ED summons is “completely politically motivated” to keep Arvind Kejriwal away from the Lok Sabha election 2024, the party alleged.
Kejriwal, in his reply to the assistant director, Directorate of Enforcement, also mentioned the two previous summons issued by the ED on October 30 which asked him to appear for questioning on November 2 and the December 18 summons, asking him to appear on December 21. The third summons asked him to appear on Wednesday.
The Aam Aadmi Party national convenor had earlier refused to appear before the federal agency, calling the notices “illegal” and “politically motivated”.
He asked the agency to respond to his earlier letters where he sought clarification on the “real intent, ambit, nature, sweep and scope of the purported inquiry/investigation for which I am being called”.
Launching a sharp attack against Kejriwal, the BJP said every “corrupt leader” will be “punished” for their misdeeds under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s
