Why Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal Is Arrested & What Is Excise Policy Scam?

The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday arrested Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the alleged excise policy scam case.

While the AAP and other opposition parties have condemned the arrest of the Delhi Chief Minister, the party has approached the Supreme Court for an urgent hearing.

So, what is the case all about and why the AAP leader has been arrested?

The case revolves around alleged corruption and money laundering related to the formulation and implementation of the Delhi government's excise policy for 2021-22, which was subsequently scrapped. According to the Enforcement Directorate (ED), AAP leaders are accused of receiving kickbacks amounting to Rs100 crore in connection with the excise policy. Kejriwal's name has been cited multiple times in the charge sheets filed by the ED, which alleges that the accused were in communication with Kejriwal during the formulation of the excise policy.

AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh are currently in judicial custody as part of the case.

Kejriwal has skipped nine summons issued by the federal agency since November 2 last year, denouncing them as "illegal and politically motivated".

Below are the dates on which Kejriwal failed to appear for the ED's summons:

November 2, 2023
December 21, 2023
January 3, 2024
January 18, 2024
February 2, 2024
February 19, 2024
February 26, 2024
March 4, 2024
March 21, 2024

What ED Says?
The ED contends that a conspiracy was orchestrated by political figures including Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, and K Kavitha (arrested last week). A South Group, comprising businessman Sarath Reddy, Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy, and K Kavitha, obtained nine zones out of 32 in Delhi under the new excise policy for 2021-22. The policy offered unusually high profit margins of 12 per cent for wholesalers and nearly 185 per cent for retailers. According to the alleged conspiracy, 6 per cent of the 12 per cent margin was to be paid back by the wholesalers as kickbacks to AAP leaders, as per the ED's allegations.

The investigation agency also mentions about one Vijay Nair, a key figure in the liquor policy case, spending considerable time in Kejriwal's office and claimed to have discussed the policy with him. Nair allegedly arranged a meeting between Sameer Mahendru, owner of Indospirit, and Kejriwal, and later facilitated a video call between them, during which Kejriwal referred to Nair as someone he trusts.

Raghav Magunta stated that his father, a YSR Congress Party MP, met Kejriwal to discuss the liquor policy. C Arvind, former secretary to Manish Sisodia, alleged that he received a draft report from Sisodia in March the previous year, and upon visiting Kejriwal's house at Sisodia's request, he saw Satyendar Jain and the document, despite it not being discussed in any group of ministers' meeting.