 "Kejriwal's arrest latest in liquor policy 'scam': Who else is behind bars?")
Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday spent his night at the office of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the national capital following his arrest in the ongoing money-laundering investigation linked to the alleged Delhi liquor policy "scam".
The Delhi CM's arrest, latest in the probe, took place after the ED showed up at his residence with a search warrant late evening. The development took place after Kejriwal did not show up at their office earlier in the day, skipping the ninth summon issued by the agency.
The incident has triggered a massive political row with the Opposition heavily targeting the Narendra Modi government over the "timing" of the arrest, which came less than a month before the Lok Sabha elections.
Section 144 in central Delhi, security tightened
Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) also launched a massive protest on Friday outside the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headquarters in Delhi, triggering Section 144 as the Delhi police geared up to thwart the agitation.
"ED has not been able to produce a single piece of evidence. This shows how fearful the BJP is of Arvind Kejriwal," AAP minister Atishi criticised the move following the party chief's "politically motivated" arrest. The case pertains to the probe of the alleged irregularities in the policy formulation of alcohol pricing in Delhi in return for bribes.
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The arrested Delhi CM will be produced at the Rouse Avenue court later in the day.
Supreme Court to hear Kejriwal's plea
Notably, the Supreme Court (SC) will hear Kejriwal's plea against his arrest today. This comes after Kejriwal moved to the top court following the Delhi High Court refusal to give him relief in the matter. Kejriwal had applied a fresh plea in HC against ED, seeking protection from any coercive action by the ED.
BRS leader K Kavitha arrested on March 15
Other than Kejriwal, the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K Kavitha also approached the Supreme Court over a plea against her arrest in the same probe. However, the court refused to take up her petition and asked her to approach the trial court first.
Kavitha is the daughter of former Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and is alleged to have "plotted" with Kejriwal and jailed former Delhi deputy CM Manish Sisodia to get "favours" in excise policy. The agency claims that she is linked to a "south group" which paid about Rs 100 crore to AAP for skewing the policy in their favour.
"In exchange for these favours, she was involved in paying Rs 100 crore to the leaders of AAP," the agency said.
Manish Sisodia arrested in February 2023
AAP leader Sisodia has been under judicial custody since February 26 last year, after he was arrested by the CBI, which is also probing the "procedural lapses" in the policy execution. Sisodia is alleged to have "destroyed evidence" by changing his phone frequently, and the profit margin for wholesalers has been changed from 5 per cent to 12 per cent, among other accusations.
The case investigation began two months after Delhi LG VK Saxena assumed office in May 2022. He recommended a CBI probe in the now scrapped policy, first launched in 2021. After the allegations of wrongdoings, the policy was rolled back in July 2022.
MP Sanjay Singh arrested on October 4
AAP MP Sanjay Singh is another high-profile arrest since October 4 last year under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Vijay Nair arrested in November 2022
Businessman Vijay Nair, the former CEO of events company Only Much Louder (OML), is among the dozen arrests in the case so far. A Delhi Court granted Nair an interim bail of two weeks in January on health grounds. Nair was associated with the AAP as its communication in-charge. He along with liquor businessman and a prime accused in the matter, Sameer Mahendru, are alleged to have conspired in the policy execution.
Sameer Mahendru arrested in September 2022
Arrested businessman Mehndru is in incarceration since September 2022 in the matter. He and another named accused Abhishek Boinpally, were part of clandestine meetings and was involved in a conspiracy to launder money, according to the ED's accusations.
Abhishek Boinpally
Boinpally is another accused in the case, who was granted a five-week interim bail by the Supreme Court on March 20. The Hyderabad-based businessman has been in custody for 18 months.
Arun Ramchandra Pillai
Hyderabad-based businessman Pillai, part of the "south group", which allegedly benefitted from the alleged skewed Delhi liquor policy, is said to be a close aide of BRS leader Kavitha. Based on the statements of the arrested businessman during the ED's questioning, Kavitha was called for interrogation by the agency. He was arrested on March 6, 2023.
Amandeep Singh Dhal
Businessman Amandeep Singh Dhal was arrested on March 1 by the ED in the matter. Dhal, the executive director of liquor business Brindco Sales Private Limited, is said to have played an active role in the controversial liquor policy formulation.
Dinesh Arora
Businessman Dinesh Arora, a now-turned witness in the case, was arrested by the ED in July 2023. Arora is considered close to Sisodia.
Rajesh Joshi
Businessman Joshi was among the first to be handed bail by the court after being arrested in the money laundering probe. Considered a close aide of Nair, Joshi was alleged by the ED to have received kickbacks of around Rs 30 crore from the "south group."
Other arrested persons in the matter are businessmen Gautam Malhotra, Amit Arora, P. Sarath Chandra Reddy, and Bonoy Babu. Additionally, son of a YSR Congress MP Raghav Magunta, Kavitha's former aide, Butchibabu Gorantla, who worked as a chartered accountant for the BRS MLC, are also among those arrested by the ED in the probe.