Delhi Excise Policy Case: ED Summons CM Arvind Kejriwal For Questioning On November 2

The Enforcement Directorate has summoned Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on November 2 for questioning in connection with alleged irregularities in the now-scrapped excise policy.

According to sources, new revelations have emerged based on the questioning of AAP MP Sanjay Singh, who was arrested earlier this month in the case. The CM will be asked to clarify the new leads, they added.

On April 16, Kejriwal, the national convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), was questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for over nine hours in the case.

They Want to Arrest Kejriwal in False Case: AAP

Delhi Minister and AAP leader Atishi hit out at the BJP, saying it is afraid of the AAP.

“The BJP is afraid of the AAP. They are afraid of good works being done in Delhi and Punjab. That’s why they want to register false cases and put their leaders in jail. The ED has summoned Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. It wants to register a false case and arrest him. I want to tell BJP that we are not afraid of them,” she said.

AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj hit out at the Centre, alleging that it is misusing agencies to finish his party. “The ED sent a summon to Kejriwal. It is clear now that the central government wants to finish AAP. This is the reason they are leaving no stones unturned to put Kejriwal behind bars and finish AAP,” he said.

Sisodia, Sanjay Singh Behind Bars in Case

Two top Aam Aadmi Party leaders– Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh–  are behind bars in connection with the money laundering case linked with the alleged Delhi liquor scam.

Sanjay Singh, who represents the party in Rajya Sabha was arrested on October 4 after the Enforcement Directorate raided his premises in connection with the Delhi excise policy-linked money laundering case.

Sisodia was first arrested by the CBI on February 26 for his alleged role in the scam. He resigned from the Delhi Cabinet on February 28. The ED later arrested the AAP leader on March 9 from Tihar Jail where he is currently lodged in judicial custody. In its nearly 270-page supplementary charge sheet which has annexures running into 2,000 pages, the ED has called Sisodia a “key conspirator” in the case.

Earlier today, the Supreme Court denied bail to former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia in corruption and money-laundering cases related to the now-scrapped excise policy for the national capital. The apex court directed to conclude the trial in the case in six to eight months, saying if the trial proceeds at a slow pace, Sisodia can apply for bail again at a later stage.

Delhi Excise Policy ‘Scam’

The Delhi government had implemented the policy on November 17, 2021, but scrapped it at the end of September 2022 amid allegations of corruption. According to the investigating agencies, the profit margins of wholesalers were increased from five to 12 per cent under the new policy.

While agencies have alleged that the new policy resulted in cartelisation and those ineligible for liquor licences were favoured for monetary benefits, the AAP-led Delhi government and Manish Sisodia have denied any wrongdoing, saying that the new policy would have led to an increase in Delhi’s revenue share.