Arvind Kejriwal on ED summon questions "under whose order?" Calls it 'BJP's leak'; Tells Probe Agency To "Take Back Notice"

Digital Desk: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will not appear today at the Enforcement Directorate's headquarters to give his statement on the Delhi liquor policy issue, as per source reports.

Mr Kejriwal was supposed to appear in front of the central probe agency's Delhi office at 11 a.m., but he addressed a letter to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) requesting that the summons be withdrawn, calling it "illegal and politically motivated."

The ED is expected to issue a new summon to Mr Kejriwal, who is visiting Madhya Pradesh to campaign for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ahead of the state poll.

In the letter, Mr Kejriwal requested that the same central investigation agency that arrested his former deputy Manish Sisodia "take back the notice immediately."

Meanwhile, Mr Kejriwal has the option of requesting pre-arrest release and contesting the summons in court.

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"The said summons does not specify whether I am being summoned as an individual or in my official capacity as Chief Minister of Delhi or as National Convenor of AAP and appears to be like a fishing and roving inquiry," the Chief Minister wrote in the two-page letter to the Deputy Chief Minister. 

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has also claimed that the central government is attempting to arrest Mr Kejriwal in a politically motivated case.

The ED's case against the AAP leaders gained momentum when the Supreme Court denied Mr Sisodia's bail appeal over a 338-crore money trail, which the court said had been tentatively established.

This money is supposed to be the earnings of private parties who received liquor licenses under the now-defunct programme. The earnings are seen as proceeds of crime by the investigators.

In response to Mr Kejriwal's letter to the ED, the BJP fired back, claiming that the AAP had engaged in corruption and that its top leaders should address questions made by the court and investigation agencies.

According to Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj's statement on ongoing incidents, "the ED is acting without regard for the rule of law by summoning whoever it wants without court review.

Following this disclosure, Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena requested that the incident be investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Mr Kejriwal, if taken into custody, will be the AAP's third senior leader to be detained in connection with the liquor policy matter. Mr Sisodia was arrested in February, and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh was arrested last month. Last year, Delhi Minister Satyendar Jain was also arrested in a money laundering case.