AAP raises alarm on ED raid, Kejriwal's arrest after Delhi CM skips summons for third time

Hours after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal skipped summons by the Enforcement Directorate in the Delhi liquor scam case for the third time on Wednesday (January 3), leaders of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party in late night social media posts on X said there was a likelihood that he will be arrested on Thursday (January 4) following a raid at his residence.

Several Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders including Delhi minister Atishi and Saurabh Bhardwaj, Jasmine Shah and Sandeep Pathak voiced their concerns on the matter on X.

“News coming in that ED is going to raid @ArvindKejriwal’s residence tmrw morning. Arrest likely,” Atishi posted on X.

News coming in that ED is going to raid @ArvindKejriwal’s residence tmrw morning. Arrest likely.

— Atishi (@AtishiAAP) January 3, 2024

“BREAKING. Sources confirm that ED is going to raid the residence of CM Arvind Kejriwal tomorrow morning. He is likely to be arrested,” Shah said in a post.

A similar post was also made by Bharadwaj late on Wednesday night.

On Thursday morning, security was tightened outside the residence of the Delhi chief minister following speculations about his arrest.

ED playing judge, jury, executioner: Kejriwal

Kejriwal on Wednesday skipped the third summons by the Enforcement Directorate (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 ED, the AAP leader also said that he would be "happy to answer" any questionnaire sent by it. Meanwhile, the 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 AAP 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".

BJP lashes out at Delhi CM

Kejriwal’s refusal to accept the summons drew sharp criticism from the BJP.

Launching a sharp attack against Kejriwal, the BJP said every "corrupt leader" will be "punished" for their misdeeds under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rule.

Party national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said, "Gone are the days when corrupt leaders used to rule over the honest citizenry of the country. The only place for the corrupt leaders is behind bars and it is our firm resolve that every corrupt leader will be punished as per law."

Union Minister Anurag Thakur wondered what the convenor of the AAP, “which lectures on honesty,” is trying to hide. Thakur said the ED has been issuing summonses to Kejriwal time and again and he has been making one excuse after another and not appearing for questioning.

“What is Kejriwal trying to hide? Something is certainly amiss," Thakur, a senior BJP leader said. “The party that used to deliver lectures on honesty has become the most corrupt party, and that is the Aam Aadmi Party. Their deputy chief minister and several ministers are in jail on charges of corruption and have not got bail," he added.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that he will neither take any bribe, nor will allow anyone to take bribes. In the last ten years, the Modi government has brought transparency and has ensured accountability," the minister said. He added that investigating agencies have acted independently and have taken strict action against corrupt leaders of political parties, businessmen and officials.

‘Political vendetta,’ alleges Kejriwal

In his letter, Kejriwal said the election to three Rajya Sabha seats from Delhi will be held on January 19 and "being the National Convenor of the AAP, I am held up in the process and run up to these critical elections." "Being the Chief Minister of Delhi, I am also quite occupied in planning and preparations for several programmes and functions for the Republic Day i.e., 26th January 2024," he said.

The AAP leader said he "would be happy to respond to any questionnaire" if the agency seeks any information or documents, which are in his knowledge or possession. "In my earlier responses and now again, I reiterate my firm commitment to the rule of law and my unflinching undertaking to render any co-operation or assistance in any inquiry or investigations that may be as per law, fair, just and expedient," Kejriwal said.

“However, as stated above, your silence confirms my apprehensions about certain vested interests and extraneous as well as malafide considerations prevailing over any objective, rational, fair or impartial inquiry or investigations," he said. “Your silence on the critical aspects leads me to infer that you are maintaining unwarranted secrecy and are being opaque and arbitrary in the present matter," the Delhi chief minister said.

“It is a matter of concern that despite my comprehensive response(s) bringing to your notice critical dimensions and legal objections involved in issuing summons to me to appear ‘in person’ in your purported exercise of powers under Section 50 of Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA), you have chosen not to respond," Kejriwal said in the reply.

He said that he knew about several cases where the ED has given a detailed explanation or response to any of the queries raised or apprehensions nursed by a person who may have been issued summons under Section 50 of the PMLA. “But in my case, you have refused to even acknowledge the receipt of the detailed submissions made in response to the summons issued to me," he said.

(With inputs from agencies)