Delhi CM and AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal will not appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) today i.e. 18 March in connection with the Jal Board probe case. The party said, “When there is bail from the court, why is ED sending summons again and again? ED summons are illegal,” as reported by news agency ANI. He was issued summons by ED under section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in the Delhi Jal Board case.
In another update, AAP Delhi State Convenor Gopal Rai will also be addressing an important press conference today.
Coming back to the Jal Board case, on Sunday, AAP leader and Delhi Minister Atishi had said that the ED has summoned Kejriwal to join some investigation related to the case. Calling it a fake case, during a press conference, Atishi said, “Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal received another summon yesterday evening by the ED…They have asked him to join some investigation related to Delhi Jal Board…We are unaware of the case registered by the ED in this matter…Arvind Kejriwal has been summoned in this fake case.”
The Delhi CM was granted bail by ACMM Divya Malhotra on a bail bond of ₹15,000 and a surety of ₹1 lakh. On Friday, the Rouse Avenue Court reversed a decision regarding the stay of summons served to Kejriwal concerning complaints lodged by the ED.
Meanwhile, in the ongoing Delhi excise policy case, ED issued a ninth summons to Delhi CM and have been asked to appear before the federal agency on March 21. So far, the Delhi CM has skipped eight summons issued by the ED in connection with the excise policy case and maintained that ED summons to him were “illegal”. The AAP has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of stamping out opposition parties and toppling governments.
The excise policy was aimed at revitalizing the city’s flagging liquor business and replacing a sales-volume-based regime with a license fee for traders. It promised swankier stores and a better buying experience. The policy introduced discounts and offers on the purchase of liquor for the first time in Delhi.
Article source: livemint.com