Will Arvind Kejriwal appear before ED? AAP weighs legal options
AAP is assessing legal options on whether Arvind Kejriwal will appear before ED in response to the allegations. The party remains non-committal on his appearance.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) remained non-committal on whether its leader and Delhi Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal, would comply with the Enforcement Directorate's summons scheduled for Wednesday in connection to an alleged money laundering case related to the excise issue under investigation. Party sources stated that they are assessing legal options and will act by the law. Kejriwal had previously skipped ED's summons on November 2 and December 21.
The background of the summons is linked to the Supreme Court's inquiry into why the agency had not questioned AAP leadership concerning the excise policy case. The ED, in response, informed the court of its intention to question AAP's leadership, leading to the issuance of a summons to Arvind Kejriwal. The Supreme Court had provisionally accepted the ED's claim that a portion of the alleged Rs 338 crore in bribes from the Delhi liquor "scam" was utilized for AAP's campaign in the Goa elections.
Interestingly, a close aide of Kejriwal had made this assertion, and the development has led to increased scrutiny of the AAP leadership in the ongoing investigation. The party, however, is currently reviewing its legal options and will decide on its course of action based on the prevailing legal considerations.