Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal’s refusal on Monday to appear before Enforcement Directorate for taking questions about the liquor scam did not surprise the agency where sources maintained that the AAP chief has been trying to push the matter closer to Lok Sabha polls so that he can cite his campaign commitments to avoid meeting the probe team.
“He is seeking to run out the clock,” said a source, adding that repeated refusals to face ED team has not helped accused in courts. “This is straight off the playbook of many other accused and it does not work,” said the source. “He is going the same way as Hemant Soren who did the same with little success,” said the source in reference to the former Jharkhand CM who was arrested after missing multiple summons from ED. Soren was arrested recently and has failed to get bail so far.
Another source emphasised that defiance of summons by probe agencies is an offence for which the person concerned is liable to be prosecuted.