Kejriwal 'arrest': Security tightened outside Delhi CM's residence

The ED issued a third summons to CM Kejriwal on December 22 last year, in connection with the alleged Delhi liquor scam case, asking him to appear before the agency on January 3. Kejriwal, in his reply to the ED, expressed his readiness to cooperate with the investigation but declined to appear on the summoned date, calling the notice 'illegal.'

New Delhi: Security was tightened outside the residence of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday morning after Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ministers claimed, citing unnamed inputs, that the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) is likely to arrest the AAP convener today.

Speculations arose thanks to some AAP leaders who suspected their party boss could be apprehended on Thursday after he refused to heed the third ED summons in the liquor scam case on Wednesday.

The Delhi CM replying to ED assured of full cooperation with the probe agency but termed the summons illegal. He also hit back at the agency for not responding to his earlier replies when he had questioned the nature of the agency's investigation.

"As a premier investigating agency the non-disclosure and non-response approach adopted by you cannot sustain the test of law, equity or justice. Your obstinacy tantamount to assuming the role of judge, jury and executioner at the same time which is not acceptable in our country governed by the rule of law," Kejriwal had written.

"In these circumstances i urge you to respond to my earlier response and clarify the position so as to enable me to understand the real intent, ambit, nature, sweep and scope of the purported inquiry/investigation for which I am being called," he added in his response."

Kejriwal had skipped all the three summons accusing the notice was "vague, motivated, and unsustainable in law. Meanwhile, the AAP also questioned the timing of the notice just before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

On December 30 last year, Kejriwal returned after 10 days of Vipassana from Hoshiarpur in Punjab and looked satisfied terming the session peaceful.

However, he was at the receiving end of the BJP which slammed him for evading ED summons.

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