The Enforcement Directorate (ED) issued its seventh summons to Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal, instructing him to appear for questioning regarding the Delhi excise policy case. This summons follows Kejriwal’s decision to skip the sixth summons, citing ongoing legal proceedings regarding their “validity.” AAP asserted that the ED should await the court’s ruling instead of repeatedly summoning Kejriwal.
In response, the ED stated that a local court had prima facie found Kejriwal guilty of “disobeying” previous notices, justifying the issuance of the seventh summons. The agency clarified that the issue before the court concerns Kejriwal’s alleged intentional disobedience of the three earlier summons, rather than their validity.
Earlier, on February 17, Kejriwal informed the court of his intention to appear regarding an application filed by the ED but was unable to do so due to the budget session and floor test in the Delhi Assembly. He requested a later hearing date, promising to attend. Consequently, the Delhi Court scheduled the next hearing for March 16.
The sixth summons, sent on February 14, required Kejriwal’s presence at the ED headquarters on February 19. Sources within the agency indicated that they had filed a complaint under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Section 174 against Kejriwal for intentionally disobeying the initial three summons. The court allegedly acknowledged the complaint, finding prima facie evidence of Kejriwal’s offense and his liability for prosecution.