Former Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal’s prosecution in the Enforcement Directorate’s money laundering case relating to the liquor scam has been approved by the Ministry of Home Affairs, paving the way for him to face trial in the corruption matter.
The MHA has also given its sanction to prosecute former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia. The Delhi Lieutenant Governor had sought permission from the Ministry to give the ED the go-ahead to proceed with the prosecution and the trial.
The move comes on the eve of the Delhi assembly elections, where the opposition BJP and Congress have made corruption charges against Kejriwal a big political issue in the electoral battle.
AAP, which has been in power for two consecutive terms, is trying to hold on to its fort for the third time in a triangular contest. Both the leaders are contesting the February assembly elections.
Though Kejriwal, who was behind bars for months in this case last year, has claimed innocence, the ED has alleged that he was the “kingpin and key conspirator” in the rigging of the Delhi excise policy 2021-22, which has since been scrapped, to benefit a few liquor businesses for pecuniary benefits.
After filing his nomination from New Delhi constituency, Kejriwal told reporters “Jako Rakhe Saiyan Mar Sake Na Koye (those protected by God cannot be killed by anyone). God is with me. One lives as long as his lifeline allows. The day one’s lifeline ends, God calls him up.”
The agency has also treated for the first time a political party, AAP, as an association under the Representation of the People Act, which makes it a company under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Delhi excise policy irregularities
The Delhi excise policy irregularities had resulted in a loss of over ₹2,000 crore to the exchequer, the Comptroller and Audit General (CAG) had revealed in a report that has not been tabled in the Delhi assembly.
The CAG report is said to have flagged a series of irregularities including the policy increased the risk of “monopolisation and cartel formation” which is a charge ED and CBI have made out in their respective cases, and companies facing complaints were given the nod to participate in the bidding process.
AAP condemned the MHA’s approval for prosecuting the party’s two senior leaders and said that this is part of the same BJP’s plot of filing false cases to defame politicians.
“This will be the first such case in the history of the country where you jailed Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia. Both were granted bail from the trial court and even from the Supreme Court...After 2 years, you gave sanction to prosecute, and this is when the elections are near. Their same old routine is to file false cases, defame the leaders of Aam Aadmi Party. But now the public has understood everything,” said AAP spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar.
The CBI was the first to file the case and the ED came into the picture subsequently to probe the money laundering aspect of the liquor scam.
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