Enforcement Directorate: Arvind Kejriwal arrested: This metro station will be closed today; Here’s how to avoid getting stuck

Delhi Metro commuters faced disruption today as the ITO station remained shut from 8 am to 6 pm. The decision, advised by the Delhi Police, aims to ensure security following the arrest of AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal.

Kejriwal’s arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the excise policy case led to heightened security at ITO, where the ED headquarters is located. Kejriwal, who had challenged the ED’s summonses in court, was denied relief by the Delhi High Court.

The ED alleges a conspiracy involving Kejriwal and others to benefit certain companies under the scrapped Delhi excise policy. Kejriwal has accused the BJP of targeting him ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.

Allegations Against Arvind Kejriwal in the Delhi Excise Policy Case
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has alleged that Arvind Kejriwal, along with others, was involved in a conspiracy related to the scrapped Delhi excise policy 2021-22. According to the ED, the policy was implemented to benefit certain private companies by providing them with a 12 percent profit margin, a detail not recorded in the minutes of meetings of the Group of Ministers (GoM).

The ED further claims that Vijay Nair and other individuals, along with a group known as the ‘South Group’, conspired to provide extraordinary profit margins to wholesalers. The agency alleges that Nair acted on behalf of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his former deputy Manish Sisodia.

Arvind Kejriwal has been issued nine summonses by the ED, but he has not appeared before the agency for questioning. Kejriwal has argued that the summonses are illegal and part of a BJP conspiracy to weaken him ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. However, he recently informed the ED that he could be questioned via videoconferencing after March 12.

Last week, Kejriwal was granted bail by the ACMM court after appearing before it. The case is scheduled for hearing on April 1.

Kejriwal is the fourth prominent Aam Aadmi Party leader to face coercive action by the ED in the Delhi excise policy case. Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh were earlier arrested by the ED in connection with the case and are currently in judicial custody. Satyendar Jain is also in judicial custody in a separate money-laundering case.