News Analysis India

Tag: Delhi excise policy

  • ‘Arrested without proper investigation’: RJD MP Manoj Jha on interim bail to Kejriwal

    Hailing the Supreme Court verdict granting interim bail to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in connection with the Delhi excise policy case, RJD MP Manoj Jha on Saturday said he was ‘happy’ with the reprieve for the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as he was arrested without a ‘proper investigation’.

    Speaking to on Saturday, the RJD leader said, “He (Kejriwal) was arrested without a proper investigation just as (former Jharkhand CM) Hemant Soren-ji and several others. We are happy that he was granted (interim) bail and allowed to campaign for the Lok Sabha elections. If he (Hemant Soren) gets bail, they (BJP) will be wiped out of Jharkhand as well.”

    Earlier, on Saturday, the Delhi CM was granted interim bail after 50 days of incarceration at the Tihar jail following his arrest by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) in the excise policy case. The AAP supremo was arrested on March 21, after several hours of questioning.The Delhi CM was granted a 22-day reprieve, till June 1, on the condition that he shall not visit the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) or the Secretariat. AllUttar PradeshMaharashtraTamil NaduWest BengalBiharKarnatakaAndhra PradeshTelanganaKeralaMadhya PradeshRajasthanDelhiOther StatesAs per the court order, Kejriwal was asked to furnish bail bonds of Rs 50,000 with one surety of the same amount. He was asked to surrender on June 2, which coincides with the final day of polling for the 18th Lok Sabha.While granting Kejriwal interim bail, the apex court said he would not interact with any of the witnesses or have access to official files connected with the case.He also can’t “make any comment with regard to his role” in the present case, the bench ordered.The bench also made it clear that the grant of interim bail will not be treated as an expression of its opinion on the merits of the case or the criminal appeal which is pending for its consideration.

    Earlier, in April, AAP MP Sanjay Singh was released on bail from Tihar jail in the liquor policy case following an order by the apex court. Singh was released after spending over six months in jail in connection with the case.

  • Arvind Kejriwal: Arvind Kejriwal’s health has deteriorated in ED custody: AAP sources

    The blood sugar level of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is diabetic, is fluctuating and his health has deteriorated in Enforcement Directorate custody, AAP sources claimed on Wednesday. Arvind Kejriwal’s blood sugar level dropped to 46 Mg at one point of time and according to doctors, such a drop is “very dangerous”, they claimed.

    Earlier in the day, the chief minister’s wife Sunita Kejriwal said in a digital briefing that she had met him in ED custody and his sugar level was fluctuating. She appealed people to pray for his health.

    Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the ED last week in connection with the money laundering case linked to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy. He is in ED custody till March 28. The chief minister has challenged his arrest in court.

  • Arvind Kejriwal ED custody: Setback for AAP: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal sent to ED custody till March 28 in liquor case

    In a massive development, a Delhi court on Friday sent Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to the Enforcement Directorate’s custody till March 28, a day after his arrest in the excise policy-linked money laundering case.

    Reportedly, Special Judge Kaveri Baweja at the Rouse Avenue court said that Kejriwal will be produced before the court on March 28 at 2 p.m.

    During the proceedings, ED told a special PMLA court that Arvind Kejriwal is kingpin and key conspirator of Delhi liquor scam in collusion with his ministers, AAP leaders.Arvind Kejriwal “took advantage” of being the chief minister of Delhi to facilitate money laundering by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which is a “major beneficiary” of the proceeds of crimes generated in the alleged liquor scam case, the ED claimed.

    “Arvind Kejriwal, chief minister of NCT of Delhi is the kingpin and key conspirator of the Delhi Excise scam in collusion with ministers of Delhi government, AAP leaders and other persons,” the federal agency informed a special PMLA court while seeking his custody.

    It claimed in its remand papers that “Arvind Kejriwal was involved in the conspiracy of formulation of the excise policy 2021-22 to favour certain persons and also involved in the demanding of kickbacks from liquor businessmen in exchange of favours granting in the said policy.”Additional Solicitor General (ASG) SV Raju, representing the Enforcement Directorate, sought a 10-day remand of Kejriwal in the trial court. The investigating agency informed the court that Kejriwal was the key conspirators in the liquor scam, in addition to another ministers and leaders of AAP.”Kejriwal acted as the middleman between the ‘South group’ and the accused in the liquor scam,” the ED has alleged. Kejriwal received several crores of rupees as kickbacks from this group for formulating and implementing the Delhi Excise Policy, ED has alleged.

    Ahead of the Punjab elections, Kejriwal had demanded Rs 100 crore from some accused from the South group, ED claimed.

    “AAP is not an individual, but a company. So every person responsible for conduct of a company will be held responsible,” ED alleged in the court.

    Raju submitted that the proceeds of crime are not only just Rs 100 crore. “Hawala trails of Rs 45 crores traced, the money was used in Goa election,” ASG said.

    The ED counsel claimed that Vijay Nair, who was the media in charge of AAP, was working for Delhi CM Kejriwal. Nair, who the agency said lives adjacent to the residence of Kejriwal and acted as a middleman between the AAP and the ‘South Group’.

    Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi appearing for Kejriwal opposed the remand plea and submitted that the agency needs to show the necessity to arrest. Singhvi argued that the power of arrest and the necessity of arrest are two different things.

    Singhvi said that in the history of 75 years of independence this is the first time a sitting chief minister is arrested, the first time four leaders of his party are arrested. Singhvi further said it’s like having the result before the first vote is cast.

  • Kavitha arrest: Excise policy case: Delhi court sends BRS MLC K Kavitha to ED custody till March 23

    Delhi’s Rouse Avenue court on Saturday granted custody remand of BRS MLC K Kavitha to the Enforcement Directorate till March 23. ED sought ten days remand of K Kavitha in connection with Delhi Excise policy case.

    ED had brought MLC K Kavitha before Special Judge M K Nagpal after arresting her from Hyderabad.

    Terming her arrest illegal, the MLC said, “We will fight it out in court.”Her lawyer characterized her arrest as a blatant abuse of power, accusing the ED of violating a Supreme Court order.

    “This arrest is a blatant abuse of power. They have clearly violated the Supreme Court orders which have protected us,” said Vikram Chaudhari, a lawyer for BRS MLC K. Kavitha, before the Delhi court.

    The Central agency questioned Kavitha thrice last year and again summoned her this year but she did not depose, citing a Supreme Court direction that allowed her protection from any coercive action.Allegedly, one of the accused in the case, Vijay Nair, received kickbacks to the tune of at least Rs 100 crore on behalf of the AAP leaders from the “south group”, allegedly controlled by Sarath Reddy, Kavitha and Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy.Kavitha has asserted that she has done nothing wrong and alleged that the Centre was “using” the ED as the BJP could not gain a “backdoor entry” into Telangana.

    The “South Group”, according to the ED, comprises Sarath Reddy (promoter of Aurobindo Pharma), Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy (YSR Congress MP from Ongole Lok Sabha seat in Andhra Pradesh), his son Raghav Magunta, Kavitha and others.

    In the excise policy case, The agency alleged the Delhi government’s excise policy for 2021-22 to grant licences to liquor traders allowed cartelisation and favoured certain dealers who had allegedly paid bribes for it, a charge strongly refuted by the AAP.

    The policy was subsequently scrapped and the Delhi Lieutenant Governor recommended a CBI probe, following which the ED registered a case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA)

  • BRS leader K Kavitha taken into custody, say reports

    Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) MLC K Kavitha was taken into custody on Friday evening. The development came hours after Income Tax Department (I-T) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials conducted searches at her Hyderabad residence, according to media reports. Earlier on Friday, at least 10 officers from both agencies from New Delhi had conducted searches in the presence of Kavitha and her husband D Anil Kumar.

    It was not clear if the action is linked to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy linked case of the central agency in which the ED has questioned the BRS MLC and daughter of former Telangana chief minister Chandrashekar Rao, PTI reported citing official sources.

    The ED had claimed Kavitha was linked to a “South Group” lobby of liquor traders who were trying to play a larger role under the now scrapped Delhi excise policy for 2021-22.Reacting to the searches, BRS spokesperson Sravan Dasoju alleged that the raids were politically motivated and both BJP and Congress are hand-in-glove to harass leaders of the K Chandrasekhar Rao-led party.

    “Wherever ( Prime Minister Narendra) Modi goes ED and IT ( Income Tax) either precedes or succeeds. That is what is happening in Telangana. They want to create a panic situation in the BRS. The ED and IT which are working at the behest of BJP are not bothered about the Congress leaders of Telangana who have illegally obtained so much wealth,” the BRS leader told PTI.

    Sravan sought to know why the BJP is “tightlipped” on the cases against Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy.“We believe in Satyameva Jayate. Let the truth prevail. We are not saying that IT and ED should not do their jobs, but the selectiveness is vindictiveness. Just before the elections, they are trying to do this mudslinging to dent the image of the BRS,” he added.The Enforcement Directorate has alleged that one of the accused in the case, Vijay Nair, received kickbacks to the tune of at least Rs 100 crore from the “South Group” (allegedly controlled by Sarath Reddy, Kavitha and Magunta Srinivasulu Reddy) on behalf of leaders of the AAP.

    (With inputs from PTI)