ED files chargesheet against Delhi CM Kejriwal in excise policy case, names his party as accused

NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a charge sheet against Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in connection with the money laundering case related to the alleged excise policy scam. The prosecution complaint was submitted to a special court, and the accused are sought to be charged under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Kejriwal, who is also the national convenor of the AAP, was arrested by the ED on March 21 from his official residence and is currently out on interim bail.This charge sheet is the eighth one filed by the ED in this case, which has led to the arrest of 18 individuals so far. Recently, a similar complaint was filed against BRS leader K Kavitha and four others.
The ED had referred to Kejriwal as the "kingpin and key conspirator" of the Delhi excise "scam," alleging that he acted in collusion with Delhi government ministers, AAP leaders, and other individuals.
Additional Solicitor General S V Raju informed the Supreme Court that "We have direct evidence that Kejriwal stayed in a seven-star hotel, whose bills were partly paid by an accused in the case," and that Kejriwal played a crucial role in formulating the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy. Raju also claimed that Kejriwal, as the AAP's national convenor, was vicariously responsible for the alleged scam.
The excise case revolves around alleged corruption and money laundering in the formulation and execution of the Delhi government's excise policy for 2021-22, which was later scrapped. Delhi LG V K Saxena had recommended a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities, and subsequently, the ED registered a case under the PMLA on August 22, 2022, based on the CBI FIR lodged on August 17, 2022.