Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal faces imminent changes of arrest in the liquorgate, with Delhi High Court on Thursday refusing to give protection to him from the possible coercive action ED may take when he appears before the investigators in the excise case.

“We have heard both sides and we are not inclined at this stage (to grant protection). The respondent is at liberty to file reply,” a High Court bench of Justices Suresh Kumar Kait and Manoj Jain said while posting Kejriwal’s application challenging summons issued by the ED for hearing on Friday. So far, the ED has issued nine summons against Delhi CM and AAP leader, seeking his presence for questioning which Kejriwal has skipped owing to fear that he would be arrested ahead of Lok Sabha elections.

summons issued

As per the nineth summon issued by the ED, Delhi CM was asked to appear before the sleuths on Thurday. The plea of a senior counsel for Kejriwal to defer the summons issued for Friday was also not entertained by the double bench of High Court.

Appearing for the ED, Additional Solicitor General S V Raju, however, said “It is already over. Time is over. He is not attending”. Kejriwal had moved petition, stating that he was willing to join the probe but the court should direct the ED not to arrest him.

The ED wants to question him on alterations made in the excise policy for 2021-22, which is since scrapped, besides allegations that ₹100 crore bribe was given to AAP leaders by south lobby which was used to fund party election in Goa. Kejriwal’s name also figured multiple times in the prosecution comolaint filed by the ED. The agency has alleged that the other accused were in touch with Kejriwal for formulating the excise policy that resulted in undue benefits to them in return for which they paid kickbacks to the AAP.

The agency has already arrested former Deputy CM Manish Sisodia and AAP MP Sanjay Singh. Both are now in judicial custody in the case.

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