New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) will seek Arvind Kejriwal’s custody from a trial court Wednesday to question him in connection with the excise policy scam case, ThePrint has learnt, in fresh trouble for jailed Delhi chief minister.
This comes the same day the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear Kejriwal’s plea challenging the Delhi High Court’s stay on his bail, granted by a lower court last week in the liquor policy case under probe by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).
According to a CBI source, Kejriwal’s statement was recorded inside Tihar jail by a team of officers Tuesday, and the agency will now be moving for transfer of his custody from the ED. The CBI is set to seek the Delhi CM’s custody for further investigation in its case, the source further said, adding: “He has not been placed under arrest till now.”
Kejriwal was last called in by the CBI for questioning in April 2023. At the time, he was questioned on alleged irregularities in the modification of the now scrapped 2021-22 excise policy.
According to the CBI, Kejriwal was aware of how undue favours were allegedly being extended to the licensees. After his questioning, Kejriwal had told reporters that the CBI asked him a total of 56 questions. “Everything is fake. The case is fake. I am convinced they don’t have anything on us, not a single piece of evidence,” he had said at the time.
The case pertains to alleged irregularities including modifications in the 2021-22 policy, extension of undue favours to licensees like waivers and reduction in the licence fee, and extension of L-1 licences (granted to business entities with experience of wholesale distribution in the liquor trade) without prior approval. While the CBI is probing corruption charges, ED is investigating the alleged money laundering aspect in the case.
On 22 July 2022, Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena had recommended a CBI probe into the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government’s 2021-22 excise policy, alleging “deliberate and gross procedural lapses”, according to an assessment report prepared by Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar.
Following the Ministry of Home Affairs’ (MHA’S) directions for an inquiry into the matter, the CBI had on 17 August 2022 registered a case against then deputy CM Manish Sisodia, three Delhi government officials, 10 liquor licensees, and unknown others.
According to the CBI’s FIR, the named accused were instrumental in “recommending and taking decisions pertaining to excise policy for the year 2021-22 without the approval of the competent authority, with an intention to extend undue favours to the licensees post tender”.
Besides Sisodia, the other officials named in the FIR include former excise commissioner Arava Gopi Krishna, former deputy excise commissioner Anand Tiwari, and former assistant excise commissioner Pankaj Bhatnagar.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
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Another foolish act by CBI on orders of BJP. Because BJP still thinks that Kejriwal can be intimidated by CBI. If he is not intimidated for the last one and a half years, how come BJP think that Kejriwal will be intimidated now? It seems BJP is falling in its own trap.