Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to be Investigated in Corruption Case

Arvind Kejriwal, the chief minister of Delhi and leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), is facing questioning from India's financial crimes agency, the Enforcement Directorate (ED), regarding an alleged fraud case related to a liquor sale policy that has since been scrapped. AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh have already been arrested in connection with the case. The AAP has denied the allegations and accused the federal government, particularly the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), of politically motivated targeting. The AAP emerged from a movement against corruption, with Kejriwal being hailed as an "anti-corruption crusader." Kejriwal has labeled the ED summons as "illegal and politically motivated," claiming it was sent by the BJP to hinder his election campaigning in four states. Security has been heightened outside the ED office and at the Rajghat memorial, where Kejriwal is scheduled to visit before going to the ED office. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the ED claim irregularities in the liquor policy's formulation and implementation, alleging that it favored certain liquor dealers and that illicit gains were used to fund a poll campaign. These allegations have been strongly denied by the AAP. Kejriwal was previously questioned by the CBI for nine hours in April, asserting that the entire case was fabricated to undermine his party. The AAP aims to establish itself as a significant opposition force to the BJP and has contested elections in various states. Opposition leaders, including Kejriwal, have accused the BJP of employing federal agencies to target them ahead of the 2024 general elections, a claim the governing party has refuted. The AAP is reportedly preparing for potential contingencies if Kejriwal is arrested. Meanwhile, the ED has conducted searches at the house of Delhi Social Welfare Minister Raaj Kumar Anand and nine other locations linked to him in a separate money laundering case.