Court takes cognisance of CBI’s final chargesheet in Delhi excise policy case, issues summons to Arvind Kejriwal and others

In almost two-year-long investigation, the Central agency had charged 16 people, including the Delhi CM, former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Telangana MLC K. Kavitha in this case whose FIR was lodged on the complaint filed by Delhi L-G V.K. Saxena.

A court in Delhi on Tuesday (September 4, 2024) took cognisance of the fourth supplementary chargesheet filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the now-scrapped Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22.

Special judge Kaveri Baweja while issuing summons to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and other accused in the case also extended the judicial custody of the CM till September 11.

The CBI, in its final chargesheet in the alleged excise policy scam, filed in the court on July 29, has named Mr. Kejriwal, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Durgesh Pathak, P. Sarath Chandra Reddy, the then director of Aurobindo Pharma who has turned approver in ED’s money laundering case, Vinod Chauhan, who was allegedly involved with the South lobby in the transfer of funds to AAP, along with two businessmen, Amit Arora and Ashish Mathur.

In almost two-year-long investigation, the Central agency had charged 16 people, including the Delhi CM, former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and Telangana MLC K. Kavitha in this case whose FIR was lodged on the complaint filed by Delhi L-G V.K. Saxena.

In the chargesheet, it is stated that the CM is ‘key conspirator’ of the alleged scam in which kickbacks of around ₹90-100 crore were paid to AAP by liquor manufacturers which was further used in party’s election campaign in Goa. The kickbacks were returned to them out of the profit margins of wholesalers holding L-1 licenses through different modes, like issuance of excess credit notes, bank transfers, and outstanding amounts left in accounts of the companies controlled, by some conspirators from the South lobby.

It also alleged that a cartel was formed between liquor manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers by violating provisions in the excise policy which was later scrapped by the State government and that all the accused actively participated in the conspiracy that caused substantial losses to the government exchequers.

Delhi CM, who is currently lodged in Tihar jail, was termed as “kingpin” in the chargesheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) which is probing a money laundering case in the same matter.