New Delhi, 21 December 2024: Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena has approved a request from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to prosecute Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in connection with the excise policy case, an investigation that has fueled political and legal battles ahead of the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections.
The ED’s request for prosecution sanction was submitted on December 5, marking a significant step in the months-long inquiry into allegations of corruption surrounding the Delhi government’s now-scrapped excise policy. The policy has drawn criticism for allegedly benefiting AAP leaders and private liquor businesses.
The Delhi High Court has granted the ED more time to respond to a petition filed by Kejriwal and former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia. The petition challenges a trial court’s decision to take cognizance of chargesheets filed by the ED in the case. Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri’s bench scheduled the matter for a hearing on February 5.
Recently, the court issued a notice in response to Kejriwal and Sisodia’s plea, reiterating their objection to the trial court’s actions. Both leaders, currently out on bail in cases brought by the ED and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), maintain their innocence and have called the charges politically motivated.
The ED alleges that the excise policy was structured to favor AAP leaders while fostering cartelization in the liquor industry. According to the agency, the policy facilitated kickbacks from liquor businesses, with promises of benefits such as discounts, fee waivers, and regulatory relief during the pandemic.
The alleged scheme reportedly granted wholesale distribution rights to private players with a fixed 12% margin, of which 6% was purportedly funneled back as kickbacks to party leaders.
Furthermore, the agency claims that funds derived from these kickbacks were used to influence the AAP’s campaign strategies in the Punjab and Goa Assembly elections held in early 2022.
As legal proceedings advance, the controversy has cast a shadow over the AAP’s leadership and posed fresh challenges to its preparations for the upcoming Delhi elections. Kejriwal has not yet responded to the Lieutenant Governor’s decision.
However, AAP leaders previously described the allegations as a “political vendetta” orchestrated by rivals aiming to tarnish the party’s reputation.
