The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday issued its third summon to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in connection to the money laundering case linked to the alleged excise policy scam.

According to reports, the ED has asked Arvind Kejriwal to appear before it on January 3, 2024.

Earlier, the Delhi Chief Minister had skipped the second ED summon on December 21 (Thursday) alleging they were issued at the behest of political rivals who wish to silence the voice of the opposition in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls 2024.

In a four-page letter to the ED written on Thursday, the Delhi CM said he had submitted a detailed response to the previous summons but never got a response from the agency. Kejriwal had termed them as 'illegal' and 'politically motivated' and stayed away.

Sources said that Kejriwal departed for a secret destination to attend a 10-day Vipassana meditation program on Wednesday.

The Delhi Chief Minister was initially summoned by the federal agency to appear on November 2. However, he refused to testify, claiming that the notice was "vague, motivated, and unsustainable in law".