In the latest development of the alleged Delhi liquor policy scam, former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia was presented in the Rouse Avenue Court today, where his judicial custody, along with that of other accused, was extended until May 30. The court also postponed the hearing of charges related to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) case concerning the Delhi Excise Policy until the same date. Sisodia and the other detainees appeared via video conferencing from jail.
The case stems from the Delhi government’s “Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22,” implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government. Complaints of irregularities in the policy’s implementation prompted the Lieutenant Governor to recommend a CBI investigation, leading to intense scrutiny and subsequent cancellation of the policy amidst allegations of irregularities in its creation and execution.
The CBI registered an FIR against 15 individuals in August 2022 for alleged violations of rules and procedural discrepancies in the new liquor policy. Subsequently, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) also initiated a money laundering investigation under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in connection with the same policy.
Both the ED and CBI are conducting separate investigations into the alleged scam in the Delhi government’s new liquor policy. The ED is probing allegations of money laundering in the policy’s formulation and implementation, while the CBI focuses on alleged irregularities during the policy’s creation.
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Both agencies, the CBI and ED, have made over 15 arrests and filed six charge sheets in connection with the Delhi liquor policy irregularities case. Arrests include high-profile names such as Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh, and executives from significant business and pharmaceutical entities. While some of the accused, including Sanjay Singh, have secured bail, others have turned approvers. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was granted interim bail on May 10.
