ED arrests Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) team has arrested Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal today in the money laundering case related to Delhi liquor policy.

The team had reached Kejriwal’s residence today after the Delhi High Court denied the Delhi CM relief against ED’s summons.

What is the Delhi liquor policy case?

Upon its introduction in November 2021, the policy promised the government’s withdrawal from regulation of liquor sales.

This allowed private shops to run the market, which was subsequently aimed to stop black marketing, increase revenue, and improve the consumer experience.

The policy, however, turned a nightmare for CM Kejriwal’s government in Delhi, as the Economic Offences Wing of the Delhi police, along with the incumbent Lieutenant Governor (LG) VK Saxena, raged a legal war against the AAP government, with the then deputy CM Manish Sisodia in the straight line of their fire.

Citing a top bureaucrat’s accounts, authorities alleged Sisodia of bending rules and providing undue benefits to liquor sale licensees. This invited a CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) probe launched against the former deputy CM in July 2022, ordered by the Delhi LG.

The CBI made five arrests in this case, including the then Delhi deputy CM Manish Sisodia, and AAP’s communications head Vijay Nair.

ED’s action in Delhi liquor policy case

The ED too soon swung into action, and filed a money laundering case in August 2022.

The intelligence agency made Sisodia’s (March 2023) and AAP’s Rajya Sabha leader Sanjay Singh’s (October 2023) arrests in the coming months.

Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLC K Kavitha was also arrested on Mar 15 in this case after searches at her residence in Hyderabad.

Kejriwal’s tussle with ED in Delhi excise policy case

The ED had issued its first summons to Kejriwal in October last year, the second in December, and the third summons to appear before it for questioning on Jan 3. 

It had summoned him for the fourth time on Jan 13, asking him to appear before it on Jan 18, before issuing its fifth summons to Kejriwal, telling him to appear before the agency on Feb 2.

On Feb 19, Kejriwal skipped the ED’s sixth summons in connection with the excise policy case. The agency issued the eighth summons to Kejriwal asking him to appear before it on Mar 4, after he skipped the seventh summons issued on Feb 22. The ninth summons was scheduled for today.

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Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal arrested by ED in Delhi excise policy case