NEW DELHI: Days after Arvind Kejriwal left for a Vipassana session in Punjab, the Enforcement Directorate on Friday issued its third summons to the Delhi chief minister in connection with the now-scrapped excise policy scam. Kejriwal has been directed to appear before the agency on January 3.
The third summons reduces the options before him. If he ignores it the way he did on the two previous occasions, the ED can get a court to issue a non-bailable warrant (NBW) against him. The NBW empowers the police to arrest the person and produce him before the court. As for Kejriwal, he can challenge the summons in a court and seek anticipatory bail.
The second summons came days before he was to leave on December 19 for the 10-day Vipassana session. It had sought his appearance at the ED office on December 21. But Kejriwal chose meditation over appearing before the ED. In any case, the his absence from Delhi for Vipassana was announced before ED officials served their second summons.
The first summons was issued on November 2, which he skipped, arguing it was illegal. The AAP accused the BJP of targeting the AAP leadership for political gains.