New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal has been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on November 2 in connection with the Delhi excise policy case.
Kejriwal was earlier summoned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in April this year, in connection with the case. The fresh summons have come Supreme Court denying bail to Sisodia on Monday and Delhi BJP demanding Kejriwal's resignation.
In a setback to Sisodia, the top court has rejected his regular bail pleas in corruption and money-laundering cases related to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam and said the transfer of Rs 338 crore was tentatively established in the matter.
Following it, the BJP sought Kejriwal's resignation for "repeatedly" saying there is no evidence of a money trail in the alleged liquor scam. The Delhi BJP said that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders should stop playing the victim card as the rejection of Sisodia's pleas shows there is sufficient evidence to prima facie indicate his involvement in the alleged scam.
"The court order has presented sufficient reason for Chief Minister Kejriwal to resign from his post," Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said. "The court's observation is a slap for all the Aam Aadmi Party leaders, including Kejriwal who have been repeatedly saying that there is no evidence of a money trail in the liquor scam," Sachdeva said.
Delhi BJP secretary Harish Khurana the Rs 338 crore money trail may soon be established by the probe agency. BJP leader and secretary of the Delhi unit Bansuri Swaraj said the court asked several tough questions to the ED, including the ones about the role of Sisodia, during the hearing of the case and only then did it decide to dismiss the bail pleas.
After considering all the arguments and especially the material placed on record by the ED, the court has dismissed the bail pleas of Sisodia which shows there is sufficient evidence to prima facie indicate his involvement in the liquor scam, Swaraj said. Sisodia is in jail in connection with the alleged irregularities in the excise policy 2021-22 of the Delhi government.
The policy was withdrawn by the AAP government last year after Lt Governor V K Saxena recommended a CBI probe into alleged irregularities in its formulation and implementation. (With Agency inputs)
