May 17th 2024.
On Friday, the Enforcement Directorate took a significant step in the ongoing investigation into the alleged excise policy scam by filing a charge sheet against the Delhi Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal, and his Aam Aadmi Party. The prosecution complaint was submitted before a special court in New Delhi and the accused were charged under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, according to sources familiar with the matter.
The ED had previously arrested Kejriwal, who is also the national convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party, from his official residence on March 21. However, he was granted interim bail and is currently out of jail. This is the eighth charge sheet filed by the ED in this case, with a total of 18 arrests made so far. Last week, the agency also filed a similar complaint against BRS leader and former Telangana chief minister Chandrashekar Rao's daughter, K Kavitha, and four others.
According to the ED, Kejriwal has been deemed the "kingpin and key conspirator" of the alleged excise "scam." The agency alleges that he colluded with ministers of the Delhi government, AAP leaders, and other individuals. Additional Solicitor General S V Raju told the Supreme Court on Thursday that they have direct evidence of Kejriwal staying in a seven-star hotel, with some of the bills being paid by an accused in the case. Furthermore, the ED has accused Kejriwal of playing a crucial role in the formulation of the Delhi excise policy, which has since been scrapped.
The allegations against Kejriwal, as the national convenor of the AAP, also extend to being vicariously responsible for the alleged scam. The excise case pertains to corruption and money laundering in the formulation and execution of the Delhi government's excise policy for 2021-22, which was later cancelled. It all began when Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena recommended a CBI probe into the suspected irregularities in the policy. This led to the ED registering a case under the PMLA.
The ED filed its money laundering case on August 22, 2022, to investigate the alleged irregularities in the Delhi excise policy of 2021-22, after taking cognisance of a CBI FIR lodged on August 17, 2022.
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