9th summon issued to CM Kejriwal by ED in Delhi excise policy case.

New Delhi, March 17 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for the ninth time in connection with the alleged excise policy scam. Kejriwal has been directed to appear before the probe agency on March 21. This development comes after a magisterial court granted him bail in complaints filed by the ED for non-compliance with previous summons related to a money laundering case linked to the now-defunct excise policy.

The Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (ACMM) Divya Malhotra at Rouse Avenue Court allowed Kejriwal bail on a bond of Rs 15,000 and a surety of Rs 1 lakh. Kejriwal had received the eighth summons on February 27, after skipping the seventh summons issued on February 22. Earlier, he had also ignored the sixth summons issued by the ED on February 19. The Agency had first summoned Kejriwal on January 31, and he had failed to appear on February 2, marking the fifth summons.

Furthermore, the ED had summoned Kejriwal for the fourth time on January 13, instructing him to present himself on January 18. The repeated summons suggest an escalating legal battle between Kejriwal and the probe agency. Kejriwal, who is the Chief Minister of Delhi and the Convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), has been entangled in a legal tussle over the alleged excise policy scam.

The ED’s persistent pursuit of Kejriwal raises questions about the agency’s investigation and the Chief Minister’s refusal to comply with the summons. With each new development in the case, the spotlight remains on Kejriwal as he faces legal challenges and accusations related to the excise policy scam. The upcoming appearance before the ED on March 21 will be crucial in determining the course of the investigation into the alleged money laundering case.

–IANS ssh/dpb