The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is all set to shake up politics. It is all set to name the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as an accused in a fresh chargesheet in connection with the Delhi Liquour Policy scam. This is the first time that any national party will be named as an accused in a chargesheet filed by any agency in a corruption case.
According to sources, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is expected to name Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal as a first-time accused in the charge sheet. The ED alleges his involvement as a ‘kingpin’ and critical official in the liquor policy case, with a money channel linked to Kejriwal allegedly being opened. Earlier, the company had revealed in a Delhi court that a bribe of Rs 45 crore received by AAP was used by the party in its campaign for the 2022 Goa Assembly elections, further implicating Kejriwal.
The timing of the chargesheet filing hinges on the outcome of the Supreme Court hearing on Kejriwal’s interim bail, scheduled for today. If the case is adjourned, the charges are expected to be laid the following day. The agency is mandated to file charges within two months of the accused’s arrest. Kejriwal, who was arraigned on March 21 in connection with the liquor policy case, is nearing the end of his two-month jail term on May 21.
If filed, the charges would be the seventh filing by the ED in a liquor policy case. So far, the agency has arrested 18 people, including former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh. Notably, Singh was granted bail last month.
Recently, the ED filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court challenging Kejriwal’s interim bail plea. The Department argues that the right to campaign in elections is neither fundamental nor constitutional. In response, the AAP filed a complaint with the Supreme Court registrar, challenging the ED’s affidavit as a blatant disregard for the legal process.
