The Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday issued fresh summons to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, asking the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener to join the investigation on February 2 in its ongoing probe into the Delhi Excise policy case, ANI reported.

This is the fifth summons for Arvind Kejriwal; notably, he has skipped all four summons earlier in connection with the case.

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The recent summons to the Delhi Chief Minister comes in the wake of his non-compliance with the fourth summons issued on January 18. Arvind Kejriwal has consistently avoided previous summons from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on January 18, January 3, November 2, and December 22, dismissing them as “illegal and politically motivated.”

The ED’s objective is to elicit Kejriwal’s statement on various aspects of the case, including the formulation of policy, pre-finalisation meetings, and allegations of bribery. Kejriwal has consistently labeled the summonses as “illegal” and expressed his willingness to cooperate, asserting that the ED’s real intention is to arrest him and hinder his election campaigning.

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During the evasion of the fourth summons, Kejriwal criticised the notices as unlawful and part of a political conspiracy, stating “All four notices sent to me (by the ED) are illegal and invalid in the eyes of the law. Whenever such general, non-specific notices were sent by the ED in the past, they were quashed and declared invalid by courts. These notices are being sent as part of a political conspiracy.”

The case revolves around an FIR alleging irregularities in the formulation and implementation of the Delhi excise policy (2021-22) by the Central Bureau of Investigation. The policy faced corruption allegations and was withdrawn subsequently.

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In a charge-sheet filed on December 2, 2023, the ED implicated AAP leader Sanjay Singh and his associate Sarvesh Mishra, claiming that kickbacks of Rs 45 crore from the policy were utilised in the AAP’s election campaign in Goa in 2022.

One charge-sheet alleges Kejriwal’s involvement, stating that he informed businessman Sameer Mahendru that former AAP communications in-charge Vijay Nair “is his boy” and should be trusted.

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The excise policy aimed to rejuvenate Delhi’s liquor business, replacing a sales-volume-based regime with a license fee. It promised enhanced stores, a better shopping experience, and introduced discounts on liquor purchases for the first time.

The Lieutenant Governor’s inquiry into alleged irregularities led to the policy’s cancellation. The AAP accused the former Lieutenant Governor, Anil Baijal, of sabotaging the policy with last-minute changes, resulting in lower-than-expected revenues.

Notably, two senior AAP leaders, Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh, are already in judicial custody in connection with the case. Sisodia, the former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister, was arrested by the CBI on February 26, and Singh, a Rajya Sabha member, was arrested by the ED on October 5.

(With ANI Inputs)