Delhi Excise Policy Scam: CBI Exposed Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal
After investigating potential misbehavior in the Delhi Excise Policy for 2021–2022, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has completed a detailed 200-page report. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is accused in this article of personally influencing policy changes to benefit a certain set of liquor companies.
The study also provides fresh evidence and notes that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which is Kejriwal’s political party, received significant financial contributions from those involved. The incident happened 712 days after the agency filed a First Information Report (FIR) and started looking into the case.
Table of Contents
Delhi Excise Policy Scam: Tailor-Made Liquor Policy
Without making an arrest, the CBI has filed charges against AAP MLA Durgesh Pathak, Amit Arora from Buddy Retail, Sarath Reddy from Aurobindo Pharma, entrepreneur Ashish Mathur, and hawala operator Vinod Chauhan.
Chief Minister Kejriwal allegedly gave officer C Arvind the draft policy report at his house, thereby directly participating in the scheme, according to the CBI. Working alongside former deputy chief minister Sisodia, IAS officer C Arvind stated in a statement that he was called to the chief minister’s home in March 2021 and that’s when he received the report.
New Findings are Part of The Final Chargesheet.
There are claims that a liquor organization benefited from changes made to the draft report for the new excise policy. In testimony, an officer stated that when Kejriwal was present, AAP communication coordinator Vijay Nair presented a copy of the policy to input into a computer. Details from an iCloud account and other fresh evidence are included in the final report.
According to the report, on March 16, 2021, MP K Kavitha and liquor businessman Magunta Reddy met with Kejriwal to ask for his cooperation in modifying the policy for their liquor company. Allegedly, Kejriwal consented and requested that Reddy give money to AAP and get in touch with Kavitha, the person working on the proposal.
According to the investigation, bribes totaling around Rs 100 crore were paid in advance by members of the liquor industry in South India to AAP lawmakers and public servants in order to secure favorable policy changes.
Later, some conspirators received their gratuities back in a variety of ways. The CBI alleges that liquor producers, distributors, and merchants established a cartel and broke the law.
The chargesheet makes clear that all of the conspirators collaborated to accomplish their unlawful objectives, which resulted in major losses for the government and advantages for the participating public employees and others. It further notes that AAP MLA Durgesh Pathak and Vijay Nair coordinated the cash payments given to AAP campaign workers during the Goa elections.
Businessman Sarath Chandra Reddy, who was arrested in November 2022, turned approver in June 2023. Kejriwal was arrested by CBI on June 26 while in jail for a related money laundering case filed by ED. He was granted bail by the Supreme Court on July 12. The excise policy was scrapped in 2022 after the Delhi LG ordered a CBI investigation into alleged corruption.
Arvind Kejriwal's Bail Plea: On which SC's Decision
Arvind Kejriwal’s Argument:
- On August 14, 2024, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal told the Supreme Court that his arrest by the CBI was like an “insurance arrest.” He believed it was designed to keep him in custody, even though he was about to be released on money laundering charges.
Court Decision:
- Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan agreed to review Mr. Kejriwal’s request to dismiss the CBI case. However, they did not grant him interim bail at this time.
Read More:-
FAQs
The Delhi Excise Policy case involves allegations of corruption and irregularities in the formulation and implementation of the Delhi Excise Policy for 2021-22. The policy was allegedly manipulated to benefit certain liquor businesses.
Officer C Arvind was summoned to the Chief Minister’s residence to receive the draft policy report. This report was allegedly handed over to him by Chief Minister Kejriwal himself. The CBI claims this was part of the irregularities in the excise policy case.
Good news , keep it up