NEW DELHI/CHANDIGARH: A day after he attended the INDIA bloc meeting, Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday left for a 10-day Vipassana in Anandgarh village of Punjab’s Hoshiarpur district, and is likely to skip the Enforcement Directorate’s second summons in the liquor policy case. According to the Chief Minister’s Office, Kejriwal will be wholly cut off from his political life till December 30.
On Monday, the ED had issued a second summons to him for questioning. Kejriwal was first summoned on November 2, which he skipped, terming it “vague, motivated and unsustainable in law”.Sources said he left at around 1.30 pm on Wednesday for the pre-scheduled meditation course. This is Kejriwal’s first visit to a vipassana session in Punjab. Drones with cameras have been banned over and near the Chauhal rest house and the Vipassana centre. Security has been tightened around the centre.
Sources in the ED said that if the Delhi CM fails to appear on December 21, the central agency will reissue third summons to him. Kejriwal can only skip a summons thrice before he faces a non-bailable arrest warrant.
On Tuesday, the AAP questioned the timing of the summons, saying the party’s lawyers are studying the notice and “legally correct” steps will be taken. They said Kejriwal’s Vipassana session was “pre-scheduled”, and the information was in the public domain. “He regularly goes for this meditation course,” AAP MP Raghav Chadha had said.
Kejriwal’s former deputy, Manish Sisodia, and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh have been arrested in connection with the case.
Mann comes under sad attack
Accusing Punjab CM Bhagwat Mann of giving political asylum to Kejriwal, SAD chief spokesperson Arshdeep Singh Kler said the move has put the government on a collision course with central agencies and the Supreme Court