Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday skipped for the seventh time the summons from the Enforcement Directorate for questioning in connection with the liquor excise policy case, The Indian Express reported.

The Aam Aadmi Party, in response to the central law enforcement agency’s summons issued to Kejriwal, said that the matter is up for hearing in a Delhi court on March 16. “Instead of sending summons daily, the Enforcement Directorate should wait for the court’s decision,” the party said.

The party added that it “will not quit the INDIA alliance no matter how much pressure the Modi government exerts”. The Opposition INDIA bloc was formed last year to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance in the Lok Sabha elections.

On Saturday, the party alleged that the BJP-led Union government was using central agencies to exert pressure on Kejriwal to walk away from the Opposition alliance.

On February 19, the Aam Aadmi Party termed the central agency’s action as “illegal” after Kejriwal skipped the summons for the sixth time. The Delhi chief minister had said that the agency should wait for the court’s decision on the matter before issuing any fresh summons.

On February 3, the central agency approached a Delhi court after Kejriwal skipped the summons for the fifth time.

Kejriwal appeared before the court via video conference on February 17. The Delhi chief minister submitted that he could not appear physically before the court because of the trust vote motion tabled in the Assembly and the Budget Session.

The court exempted him from appearing physically and listed the matter for hearing on March 16.

Liquor policy case

The Enforcement Directorate’s case is based on a first information report registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation alleging irregularities in the Delhi government’s liquor excise policy, which has been scrapped.

The policy came into effect in November 2021. It was withdrawn on July 30, 2022, with Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena recommending an investigation into the alleged irregularities in the regime.

The Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate have alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party government modified the liquor excise policy to ensure a 12% profit margin for wholesalers and a nearly 185% profit margin for retailers.

The Enforcement Directorate has also claimed that members of a so-called South Group had paid at least Rs 100 crore in kickbacks to leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party through businessman Vijay Nair.

Two senior Aam Aadmi Party leaders – Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh – are currently in jail in connection with the case. Kejriwal has skipped five summons by the Enforcement Directorate.

Also read: A ‘liquor scam’ has put AAP leaders in jail. But has it dented the party’s image in Delhi?