The troubles for Delhi's Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal are on the rise as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is set to file a chargesheet against him tomorrow in the liquor scam case. This will be the first instance of Kejriwal's name being included in a chargesheet.
The ED intends to list Kejriwal as the mastermind and kingpin in its chargesheet. The agency claims to have uncovered a monetary trail linked to Kejriwal. The Supreme Court may also hear his plea for interim bail tomorrow.
Court queried: Why delay summons?
Previously, during a hearing, the Supreme Court inquired why Kejriwal deferred the summons nine times. Justice Sanjeev Khanna asked why Kejriwal ignored the notices sent by the ED. Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi responded: 'When summoned by the CBI, he complied. Kejriwal has detailed responses to the ED's notices. One can't be arrested for not honoring a summons, hence a separate proceeding is ongoing. Non-appearance at the ED office is his right.'
ED's submission to the court?
The ED informed the court that Kejriwal was summoned nine times for questioning, but he evaded appearing before the agency each time. The agency alleged that during the scam period, 36 individuals changed and destroyed over 170 mobile phones. The ED also refuted Kejriwal's claims that his arrest was politically motivated to impede his election campaigning.
Kejriwal has been in jail since March 21
Arvind Kejriwal was arrested on March 21 related to the alleged liquor scam in Delhi. Before the arrest, the ED issued nine summons to him for interrogation. However, Kejriwal failed to attend to any. The central investigative agency accuses him of being the chief conspirator and directly involved in soliciting bribes from liquor businessmen. The Aam Aadmi Party, rejecting these accusations, asserts that Delhi will witness no leadership change and that Chief Minister Kejriwal will govern from jail.