Delhi liquor policy case: Arvind Kejriwal to appear before CBI today; AAP to stage protest

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• Apr 16, 2023 | Dhupali Das

Arvind Kejriwal is scheduled to appear before the CBI on Sunday for interrogation regarding the excise policy case...

Digital Desk: Delhi chief minister, Arvind Kejriwal, is scheduled to appear before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Sunday for interrogation regarding the excise policy case. Reportedly, the chief minister of Punjab, Bhagwant Mann, will accompany Kejriwal to the CBI office. Moreover, Kejriwal's cabinet colleagues and all Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MPs will accompany him to the CBI office. 

“They (CBI) have called me today and I will definitely go. They are very powerful, they can send anyone to jail. If BJP has ordered CBI to arrest me, then CBI will obviously follow their instructions,” Kejriwal said in a video message. 

As per reports, the Aam Aadmi Party will organize a protest in the national capital on Sunday during the interrogation of party chief Arvind Kejriwal at the CBI office.

Meanwhile, the Delhi Police strengthened the security around the CBI headquarters ahead of Kejriwal's appearance. Over 1,000 security personnel, including paramilitary forces, have been deployed outside the CBI headquarters, and Section 144 of the CrPC has been imposed in the vicinity to make sure that no gathering of more than four people takes place. 

Security has also been beefed up outside the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) office on Rouse Avenue, according to officials.

Barricades are also being built on roads near the AAP office and the CBI headquarters to ensure that the party's members and supporters do not cause trouble, said a senior police official.

"More than 1,000 security officers, including paramilitary forces, have been stationed outside the CBI headquarters to ensure that no unfortunate incident occurs," the officer added.

According to a notification issued by the CBI, Kejriwal has been summoned to appear at its headquarters at 11 a.m.

In the case, Kejriwal's deputy, Manish Sisodia, was arrested last month. The AAP, on the other hand, called the investigation a plot against its leaders.

The CBI asked Kejriwal to appear on a Sunday as the offices in the vicinity remain closed. The same technique had been used when Sisodia was summoned to the agency's headquarters, where he was interrogated for eight hours before being taken into custody.