Arvind Kejriwal To Be Prosecuted In Delhi Liquor Policy Case As Centre Grants Approval To ED

The Union Home Ministry has given its nod to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to move forward with the prosecution of Arvind Kejriwal, the Aam Aadmi Party's national convener and former Delhi chief minister, in connection with the money laundering case regarding the Delhi liquor policy scam.

The approval follows a similar sanction granted by Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena to prosecute Kejriwal.

Last year, the Supreme Court had said that the Enforcement Directorate required to take prior sanction before prosecuting public servants.

In light of this, Arvind Kejriwal approached the Delhi High Court, contending that the ED's charge sheet against him and others were illegal because no prior sanction was taken from the authorities.

The Enforcement Directorate had earlier labeled Arvind Kejriwal as the “kingpin and key conspirator” in the Delhi liquor policy scam.

In September 2024, the Supreme Court had granted Kejriwal bail in the same case after his arrest.

Kejriwal’s legal troubles began with his initial arrest by the ED on 21 March 2024, after which the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took him into custody on 26 June on corruption charges.

The case against Arvind Kejriwal revolves around allegations of irregularities in the drafting of the Delhi excise policy for 2021-22, which has since been scrapped.

The former Chief Minister and other leaders of AAP have been accused of deliberately introducing loopholes in the policy to receive kickbacks from liquor lobbyists.

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