In a major development in the Delhi Liquor Policy Scam, the Central Bureau of Investigation got a three-day remand of Delhi CM and Aam Aadmi Party Chief, Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday evening. Concerning the arrest, the special CBI court, which denied relief to Kejriwal, said that based on the material on record, the arrest could not be said to be illegal. Pertinently, the court has asked the central agency to produce Kejriwal in the court on Saturday, after its three-day remand ends.
CBI arrested Kejriwal inside the Rouse Avenue Court which had granted him bail three days earlier, but the Delhi HC paused the bail. Reacting to the arrest, Kejriwal’s wife, Sunita Kejriwal alleged that the “whole system” is trying to ensure he stays in jail. Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Paty announced that the AAP MPs would boycott President Droupadi Murmu’s address to the joint sitting of the Parliament on Thursday.
In an interesting twist in the case, CBI informed the court that during the investigation, Kejriwal pinned blame on his cabinet minister and former deputy CM, Manish Sisodia for recommending the privatization of liquor stores in the city under the now-scrapped excise policy. However, Kejriwal denied these claims, saying that through such statements the central investigative agency was trying to defame both the AAP leaders. Countering Kejriwal’s allegations and denial of the statement, CBI told the court that it was talking on facts. The blame game between CBI and Kejriwal was later clarified by the Court which noted that Kejriwal merely mentioned that privatization was not his idea and that the CBI had “wrongly perceived” his statement.
It must be noted that Sisodia was arrested by the CBI on February 26 last year for his alleged role in the Delhi Excise Policy Scam case. Subsequently, the officials of the Enforcement Directorate arrested him on March 9. Sisodia was responsible for the formation of the new liquor policy for Delhi with the objectives of maximizing revenue for the state, combating the sale of counterfeit alcohol, and enhancing the consumer experience. However, the policy encountered vehement opposition and allegations of irregularities, ultimately leading to its annulment on August 1st, 2022.
Earlier on Wednesday, when the CBI sought a five-day remand of Kejriwal, it termed the Delhi CM as one of the “main conspirators” of the criminal conspiracy in the alleged Delhi Excise Policy scam. Notably, while seeking Kejriwal’s remand, the CBI furnished similar grounds to that of the ED submissions in March, such as calling him a “kingpin” in the case and his meeting with the South Group, especially his meeting with Bharat Rashtra Samithi MLC K. Kavitha.
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