AAP MLA Durgesh Pathak summoned by ED

After Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest last month, the Enforcement Directorate has now issued a summon to AAP’s Durgesh Pathak for questioning in the much-hyped money laundering case linked to Delhi's now-scrapped liquor policy. 

MLA from Delhi's Rajinder Nagar, Pathak, was summoned at 2 pm today. Bibhav Kumar, personal assistant of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, is also being questioned.

The senior AAP leader who is a member of party’s political affairs committee, national executive and in-charge of its organization building team, was earlier summoned by the central agency in 2022.

The fresh summons comes at a time when AAP's top leaders, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia are in prison in connection with the ED's case. AAP MP Sanjay Singh, who was also arrested in the same case, recently came out on bail.

The party has reiterated the allegations by the central agency as the conspiracy of BJP and has accused the central government of using probe agencies for political objectives.

Earlier, Delhi minister and AAP leader Atishi said that the ED plans to arrest her and three more AAP leaders -- Saurabh Bharadwaj, Raghav Chadha and Durgesh Pathak.

Alleging that the BJP has approached her through "someone very close", she claimed that the offer was to join the BJP and "save my political career" or get arrested by the ED.

She asserted that the person who approached her on behalf of the BJP had said that the ruling party had "made up its mind on crushing everyone in AAP". 

"The BJP's plan is to arrest four more AAP leaders in the next two months. They will arrest me, Saurabh Bharadwaj, Durgesh Pathak and Raghav Chadha," she said.

The BJP's Delhi unit responded to Atishi’s allegations by sending a defamation notice to her and demanding a public apology. Soon after, Election Commission also issued her a show-cause notice in the matter.

It is alleged that the Delhi government's liquor policy, introduced in 2021 and withdrawn the next year, provided under benefits to liquor licensees. Following a recommendation from Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, the CBI started its probe into the allegations of irregularities. 

The ED is probing the money trail in the case but has still not found any concrete evidence.