ED summons 3 associates of AAP leader Sanjay Singh in Delhi liquor policy case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned three associates of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and MP Sanjay Singh in connection with the Delhi Excise Policy case. Vivek Tyagi, Sarvesh Mishra and Kanwarbir Singh have been issued summons and Sarvesh Mishra is expected to appear before the ED today. ED will question all these three persons in front of Sanjay Singh who is in ED custody till October 10. Singh was arrested by the ED in connection with a money laundering investigation in the Delhi government’s now-scrapped excise policy case. The arrest came hours after raids were carried out by the central agency at Singh’s residence today (4 October). The probe agency has alleged that Sarvesh, an associate of Sanjay Singh, has received Rs 2 crore on two occasions on behalf of Singh at the latter’s residence. Vijay Tyagi, the personal assistant of Sanjay Singh was offered a stake in the business interest of accused Amit Arora’s firm Aralias Hospitality. ED will confront them and interrogate them to identify the complete modus of Operandi of the offence and to unearth the complete proceeds of the crime involved. The new liquor policy implemented in November 2021 aimed to remove the Delhi government from the business of selling liquor, allowing only private liquor shops to run in the city. The new rules allowed liquor stores to run way after midnight and the vendors could offer unlimited discounts. After the excise policy was enforced, the Delhi government witnessed a 27 per cent upsurge in revenue, generating about Rs 8,900 crore. The new liquor policy did not survive for long and was scrapped almost a year later. The Kejriwal government brought the old liquor policy back on 1 September 2022. The step was taken after Delhi Lieutenant Governor (LG) Vinai Kumar Saxena recommended a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the alleged irregularities in the implementation of the new excise policy, which threw Sisodia, the then head of the excise department, directly into the line of fire. With inputs from ANI.