The speculated possible arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has been deferred, at least until March 16. The AAP convenor has secured an exemption from physical appearance in a Delhi court hearing a complaint against him filed by the Enforcement Directorate for ignoring its summons in a money-laundering case. The month-long breather for Kejriwal came after he appeared through video conference before the Rouse Avenue Court, which was hearing ED’s complaint on allegedly evading its earlier summons.
He sought exemption from physical appearance for the day, claiming that he was busy attending the Delhi Assembly’s Budget Session where a confidence motion was also scheduled to come up. The court accepted his plea and put off the hearing until March 16, relying on the CM’s assurance that he would physically attend the next hearing. The AAP is anticipating the announcement of Lok Sabha elections around March 16, and party strategists claim that any attempt to arrest Kejriwal by central government-controlled agencies like the ED after March 16 would backfire on the Narendra Modi government and confirm allegations of vendetta politics.
AAP leaders argue that any attempt to put Kejriwal behind bars ahead of parliamentary elections may also generate voter sympathy for the party and enhance its electoral performance. Earlier this week, the ED issued its sixth summons to Kejriwal for questioning in the money laundering case related to the now-scrapped excise policy of the Capital. The latest summons has asked him to appear before the probe agency on February 19.
Previously, the ED had also issued five summons dated February 2, January 18, January 3, December 21, and November 2. However, the CM skipped all five summons in a row, prompting the Enforcement Directorate to move the Rouse Avenue court. On most occasions, the CM refused to comply with earlier ED summons either due to his preoccupation with the AAP campaign in Assembly elections in heartland states or on the grounds of ambiguity in the summons.
The CM has asked the ED to first clarify whether he is being summoned in the capacity of the head of the elected government or as the convenor or head of the ruling AAP. The complaint filed by the ED for skipping summons noted that prima facie the Delhi CM was “legally bound” to comply with them and present himself for questioning. Meanwhile, Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva slammed Kejriwal for not attending the court proceedings physically.
He said, “Whether it is the matter of ED summons or the related case in the concerned court, the way Kejriwal is avoiding appearing at the doorstep of justice indicates that he knows his role in the liquor scam is suspicious, and ultimately his arrest is certain.”
He added that Kejriwal is now walking on the path shown by former CM of Jharkhand Hemant Soren, by postponing his appearance in court or facing ED questions. However, no matter how much Kejriwal walks on Soren’s path, he should understand that he cannot avoid arrest like in the case of Soren.