CBI files chargesheet against Arvind Kejriwal in liquor policy case

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday filed its supplementary chargesheet against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the Rouse Avenue Court. The charges pertain to the money-laundering case linked to the now-scrapped excise policy, alleging substantial financial misconduct.

The chargesheet follows an extensive probe into the alleged misuse of the Delhi excise policy. The CBI has accused Kejriwal of being a primary conspirator in the case, asserting that he orchestrated the enhancement of profit margins for liquor wholesalers from 5 percent to 12 percent without any justified rationale. According to the agency, this move resulted in considerable financial gains for select liquor producers and traders.

Earlier, in May, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) also filed a comprehensive 200-page chargesheet against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief. The ED's investigation had already led to the arrest of Kejriwal by the agency on March 21. Although the Supreme Court granted him interim bail, Kejriwal remains in jail following his arrest by the CBI in a related matter.

The CBI's chargesheet implicates Vijay Nair, the former media in-charge of AAP and a close associate of Kejriwal, who allegedly maintained contact with various liquor producers and traders. The agency claims that all decisions regarding the liquor policy were taken under Kejriwal’s direction, with ex-post facto approval given to former Delhi minister Manish Sisodia's decisions by the Cabinet led by Kejriwal.