Delhi Chief Minister
Arvind Kejriwal was
arrested by the Enforcement Directorate Thursday night in the Delhi excise policy case. A 12-member team from the central agency arrived at his residence after the Delhi High Court refused to grant him temporary security from coercive measures by the ED.
The arrest came after the Delhi CM skipped multiple ED summons.
Kejriwal became the first serving CM to get arrested. He's the third prominent face from the Aam Aadmi Party to have been arrested in connection with the same case.
Following is a chronology of the Delhi liquor policy case events that set the stage for the current developments:
November 2021 -
A new excise policy aimed at restructuring the distribution and sale of alcohol in the city is introduced by the Delhi administration, led by Arvind Kejriwal.
July 2022 - The Chief Secretary of Delhi reports a serious policy violation. Based on this, the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi demands the CBI investigate the rule violations.
August 2022 - The Enforcement Directorate’s money laundering investigation into liquor policy is followed by the CBI raiding Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and others on Delhi LG’s recommendation.
September 2022 - CBI arrests Vijay Nair, the chief of communications for the Aam Aadmi Party.
March 2023 - The Enforcement Directorate detains Manish Sisodia, Delhi’s former deputy chief minister.
October 2023 - The Enforcement Directorate arrests AAP leader Sanjay Singh, and Delhi Chief Minister
Arvind Kejriwal receives the first summons in the liquor policy scam.
November 2023 - Rather than replying to the ED’s initial summons, Kejriwal takes a plane to Singrauli, Madhya Pradesh, on November 2, to speak at a political gathering.
December 2023 - Ignoring the second summons, Kejriwal claims it is 'illegal and politically motivated'. Kejriwal receives a third summons from the ED to come in for interrogation on January 3.
January 2024 - Kejriwal ignores the third summons, calling it the Central government’s alleged plotting. The AAP convenor received a fourth summons from the ED that same month, requesting he show up for interrogation on January 18. In response to the Enforcement Directorate's summons, Kejriwal queries the organisation as to why notifications were issued. Subsequently, the ED issues its sixth summons.
February 2024- Kejriwal ignores the summons from the Enforcement Directorate for the sixth time. According to a February ED court filing, the AAP member was not responding to the summons.
(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)
