 "Delhi liquor case: Arvind Kejriwal and other big leaders arrested")
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) are in trouble due to the alleged Delhi liquor policy scam.
A total of 16 people have been arrested in this case till now, with the ED filing six chargesheets.
The matter concerns suspected money laundering and corruption during the formulation and implementation of the excise policy for 2021–2022 by the Delhi government.
In the latest development, the probe agency has arrested Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, bringing the total number of top leaders arrested in the case to six.
Let’s take a closer look at the high-profile arrests in the case.
Arvind Kejriwal
Delhi CM and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the federal probe agency after searches at his official residence at Flagstaff Road in Civil Lines area of the National Capital on Thursday, according to PTI.
Notably, the arrest—the first of its kind—took place soon after the Delhi High Court rejected Kejriwal’s request for immunity from any agency coercion.
Kejriwal’s name has been mentioned multiple times in the charge sheets filed by the ED in this case. The agency has alleged that the accused were in touch with Kejriwal to formulate the excise policy that resulted in undue benefits to them in return for which they paid kickbacks to the AAP.
The 55-year-old is expected to be produced before a special PMLA court by the ED on Friday for obtaining his remand for custodial interrogation in the money laundering case linked to alleged irregularities in the scrapped Delhi excise policy.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsThe ED may seek 10-day custody of Kejriwal from the court alleging his continued “non-cooperation” in the investigation and to ascertain his personal role and that of his party in connection with the liquor policy and irregularities as alleged by the agency.
The agency may also inform the court about its requirement to confront Kejriwal with other arrested accused and witnesses including BRS leader K Kavitha, once they get his custody.
Kejriwal’s legal defence team is expected to contest the same as they had called the ED action “illegal.”
As per procedure, the agency also conducts a brief questioning of the arrestee before preparing the remand papers that are placed before the court for seeking their custody.
K Kavitha
Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLC K Kavitha was arrested last week on Friday after the ED and the Income Tax department raided her residence in Hyderabad.
The ED alleged that Kavitha was part of the “South Group” and allegedly gave Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders bribes of Rs 100 crore. These payments were purportedly paid under the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy in return for illegal benefits.
Kavitha has refuted the claims and referred to the ED notices as “Modi notices.”
On Friday, the Supreme Court will hear Kavitha’s plea challenging her arrest by ED.
The daughter of former Telangana CM KCR on Tuesday withdrew her plea from the apex court challenging summons by Enforcement Directorate and filed a fresh plea challenging her arrest.
Sanjay Singh
AAP's Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh was arrested on 4 October 2023, following a lengthy questioning session at his Delhi home. His arrest was crucial to the case.
He was accused by the central agency of being a “key conspirator” in the irregularities in the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy and of receiving bribes from the alleged scam.
He had also challenged his arrest by the ED in the liquor policy case.
Manish Sisodia
Manish Sisodia , a former deputy chief minister of Delhi and close aide to Arvind Kejriwal, was first arrested by the CBI on 26 February 2023. On 9 March 2023, Sisodia was once more arrested by the ED as part of their investigation into the case, while he was being held at Tihar jail and awaiting his bail hearing.
The ED chargesheet accused him of engaging in extra-procedural involvement in the formulation of the new excise policy, modifying it to the advantage of some liquor firms, and resulting in a loss of excise revenue amounting to several hundred crores for the state exchequer.
Vijay Nair
AAP communications in-charge Vijay Nair was arrested by the CBI in the liquor scam in September 2022. The ED charged him with the same in November of that year.
Nair was accused by the ED of being a middleman for the “South Group,” which allegedly gave bribes of Rs 100 crore in exchange for permission to enter the National Capital’s spirits retail market.
Additionally, the agency charged him with laundering funds obtained as bribes during the AAP’s Goa Assembly campaign.
Satyendar Jain
AAP leader and former Delhi minister Satyendar Jain was the first person to be arrested under the Delhi excise policy. The ED made this arrest in May 2022.
In May last year, Jain was given interim bail on medical grounds following a year-long imprisonment in Tihar jail.
After nine months of relief, he went to jail again in March 2024.
Other people arrested in the case
Member of South Group, now turned witness, Raghav Magunta; son of former MLA from Akali Dal Gautam Malhotra; owner of Vaddi Retail Amit Arora; promoter of Arvindo Group, turned witness, P Sharad Reddy; member of South Group, Abhishek Bonpalli; former MLA of Kavitha, Buchibabu Gorantla; regional head of Record India, Binoy Babu; director of Chauriyet Productions, Rajesh Joshi are several others arrested in the case.
Other prominent individuals detained in this investigation include restaurateur Dinesh Arora, who was charged by the CBI in 2022, and Sameer Mahendru, the managing director of M/s Indospirit Group, who had been charged by the ED in September of the same year.
The Delhi excise policy case
The liquor excise policy under the AAP government has undergone numerous modifications in 2021.
As per another report by News18, among these were the discontinuation of state-run liquor stores and the issuance of operating licenses to private entities. The legal drinking age was also lowered from 25 to 21 years old.
Specific requirements for liquor brand registration were put out, including variables like cost and sales figures outside of Delhi.
In addition, the government suggested raising the yearly licence price for alcohol vending from Rs 8 lakh to Rs 75 lakh.
The move coincided with the Delhi government’s withdrawal from the retail liquor business, as 849 private vendors won licences through competitive bidding, the report said.
However, the implementation of the policy was clouded by the opposition’s allegations of corruption and favouritism during the licencing process.
The AAP faced additional difficulties when Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena of Delhi opened a probe into the new excise policy. A report from the top official in Delhi prompted Saxena to formally request an investigation by the CBI.
The government declared that the excise policy would be scrapped amid the growing criticism.
With inputs from PTI
 "Russian drones over Poland: Trump’s tepid reaction a wake-up call for Nato?")
 "As Russia pushes east, Ukraine faces mounting pressure to defend its heartland")
 "Why Mossad was not on board with Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar")
 "Turkey: Erdogan's police arrest opposition mayor Hasan Mutlu, dozens officials in corruption probe")
 "Russian drones over Poland: Trump’s tepid reaction a wake-up call for Nato?")
 "As Russia pushes east, Ukraine faces mounting pressure to defend its heartland")
 "Why Mossad was not on board with Israel’s strike on Hamas in Qatar")
 "Turkey: Erdogan's police arrest opposition mayor Hasan Mutlu, dozens officials in corruption probe")
