AAP to be made an accused in Delhi Excise Policy Case following MP arrest
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The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) may stand accused by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for the alleged Delhi liquor policy scam after the Supreme Court (SC) questioned their involvement on Wednesday, according to media reports.
The SC asked the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and ED on why AAP had not been made an accused in the case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), despite allegedly being a beneficiary of the scam. This occurred during a plea hearing of AAP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia.
AAP MP Sanjay Singh was also arrested yesterday evening in the Excise Policy Scam. ED accused Sanjay Singh of not cooperating in the inquiry.
The AAP will be staging a protest against this arrest outside the BJP headquarters today at 11 am, according to News 18. The Opposition parties may join in, including Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), in the protest to display a united front.
What is the Delhi Excise Policy Case?
The excise policy 2021-22 brought by the Delhi government to reform liquor trade. Under this policy, the Delhi government had quit retail liquor business allowing private licensees to open vends across the city. The policy received allegations of irregularities in its formulation and implementation that benefitted private parties.
According to agency reports, the Delhi government had earned a revenue of Rs 6,762 crore from excise and VAT on the sale of liquor. After scrapping the excise policy 2021-22, the Delhi government switched to the old regime under which its four agencies took control of retail liquor trade from September 1 in 2022.
Then deputy chief minister and in-charge of excise department Manish Sisodia was arrested in connection to the alleged scam in February of this year. AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh was also arrested on Wednesday after a raid by the ED at his North Avenue residence in a money laundering case related to the excise case.
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