Arvind Kejriwal said here he will do whatever needs to be done as per law. Sources in the AAP and the Delhi government have told PTI that he is unlikely to appear before the agency as he is scheduled to leave for Goa on a three-day tour.

Arvind Kejriwal was earlier supposed to leave for Goa on January 11 but postponed it to oversee Delhi’s preparation for the Republic Day. Arvind Kejriwal was issued the ED summons last week for the fourth time and asked to appear before the agency on January 18. However, he is yet again likely to skip the ED summons.

Earlier in the day, Delhi cabinet minister Saurabh Bharadwaj had echoed similar views. “He is clear that whatever he will do he will do in accordance with the law and the advice of the legal counsel,” Saurabh Bharadwaj.

Arvind Kejriwal earlier skipped ED summons on January 3, citing Rajya Sabha polls and Republic Day preparations. Earlier, the Delhi chief minister was asked to appear on November 2 and December 21, 2023, but skipped the summons.

The AAP government has termed the summons as “illegal” and alleged that it was a conspiracy by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA to “arrest” Arvind Kejriwal.

Arvind Kejriwal’s name has been mentioned multiple times in charge sheets filed by the ED in the case. The agency has said that the accused were in touch with him regarding the preparation of the now-scrapped Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22. It is alleged that the Delhi government’s excise policy for 2021-22 to grant licences to liquor traders allowed cartelisation and favoured certain dealers who had allegedly paid bribes for it, a charge repeatedly refuted by the AAP.

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Published: 18 Jan 2024, 07:29 AM IST