Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s decision to not respond to the fifth summons related to the alleged liquor policy scam, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has taken legal action by filing a complaint in court. The complaint, lodged with the Rouse Avenue court in New Delhi, accuses Kejriwal of failing to appear for questioning and is scheduled for a hearing on Wednesday.
Kejriwal has consistently maintained that the summons are unlawful and asserts that the ED’s intention is solely to detain him. This stance has led to widespread speculation regarding his potential arrest since the issuance of the first summons on November 2.
In connection with the same case, two other leaders from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), including the former Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, Manish Sisodia, and Sanjay Singh, were previously arrested last year.
The ED’s legal action invokes Section 63 (4) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), which addresses the willful disregard of directives issued under Section 50, empowering the agency to summon individuals. Additionally, the complaint references Section 174 of the Indian Penal Code, concerning the failure to comply with an order from a public servant.
In response to the latest summons, the AAP has criticized the ED’s measures as being driven by political motives and illegitimate, framing it as an attempt by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to arrest Kejriwal and destabilize the Delhi government. The party has publicly declared its determination to thwart such efforts.
| Entity | Description |
| Delhi Chief Minister | Avoided responding to five summons from the Enforcement Directorate (ED). |
| Summons Dates | November 2, December 21, January 3, January 19, February 2. |
| CBI Interrogation | Interrogated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in April of the previous year. Not charged. |
| ED Investigation | Probing the money-laundering aspects of the case. |
Overview of the Case
The controversial liquor policy, initiated in November 2021, marked a significant shift as the government exited the retail liquor market, paving the way for private entities to manage liquor stores. However, by July 2022, Delhi Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar highlighted serious breaches within the policy, pointing out “undue advantages” granted to the liquor licensees, leading to the policy’s cancellation in September of the same year.
The CBI has accused liquor corporations of playing a significant role in devising the excise policy, purportedly ensuring a 12% profit margin for themselves. It has been alleged that a group known as the “South Group” was involved in offering bribes, a portion of which was allegedly funneled to government officials. The ED’s investigation is focused on the suspected laundering of these bribe payments.
Furthermore, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has alleged that the funds derived from this supposed scam were utilized by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to finance its electoral campaign for the 2022 Gujarat Assembly elections, during which it secured 12.91% of the vote share, thereby cementing its status as a national political party.
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