Contemplating making AAP an accused in Delhi excise policy scam cases, CBI and ED tell SC

Tribune News Service

Satya Prakash

New Delhi, October 16

The CBI and the ED on Monday told the Supreme Court on Monday they were contemplating to make Aam Aadmi Party an accused in the corruption and money laundering cases arising out of thealleged excise policy scamin Delhi.

“I want to make a statement I have received instructions to make. We are contemplating making the Aam Aadmi Party an accused and invoking offences of vicarious liability under the Prevention of Corruption Act and section 70 of the PMLA,” Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, told a Bench led by Justice Sanjiv Khanna on behalf of the two probe agencies.

“Be careful and take specific instructions and tell us tomorrow on whether there will be the same charge or different charge with respect to these cases,” the Bench – which also included Justice SVN Bhatti – told Raju during the hearing on bail plea of Sisodia.

Asking him to clarify if there will be separate charges against the AAP in the cases being probed by the CBI and the ED, the Bench posted the matter for hearing on Tuesday.

The Bench – which had on October 5 --posed searching questions tothe probe agencies andflaggedthe absence of money trail linking the former Delhi Deputy CMto the proceeds of crime—told the ASG that Sisodia can’t be kept in jail for an “indefinite period”.

“You cannot keep him behind (bars) for an indefinite period. You cannot keep him behind like this. Once a chargesheet is filed in a case, arguments on charge should commence immediately,” it noted.

Lodged in jail for more than seven months, the former Delhi Deputy CM has failed to get any relief from the Supreme Court so far. Sisodia –who resigned from the Delhi Cabinet on February 28 – has denied the allegations and asserted that he’s innocent.

As Raju said the cases against Sisodia were at the stage of supply of documents to the accused and thereafter arguments on charge will commence, Justice Khanna asked, “Why have the arguments on charge not yet commenced and when will they commence? Tell us by tomorrow.”

If a Deputy CM holding 18 portfolios, including that of the excise department, accepted bribes, then a proper example needed to be set, the ASG said, highlighting the role allegedly played by the senior AAP leader in the alleged scam.

On October 5, the Bench had posed a series of questions to the probe agencies.“The money trail does not come back to him (Sisodia)… the money does not come to his pocket…there’s not even a case of vicarious liability, with money flowing to a company owned by him,” it hadnoted.

The Delhi Government implemented the controversial policy on November 17, 2021, but scrapped it at the end of September 2022 amid allegations of corruption.

The CBI and ED registered cases against Sisodia after Delhi Lt. Governor VK Saxena recommended a CBI probe into the alleged excise policy scam on the basis of a report by the Delhi chief secretary. Sisodia, who also held the excise portfolio among many as Delhi Deputy Chief Minister, was arrested by the CBI on February 26. Later, the ED arrested him on March 9 in a money laundering case.

The probe agencies alleged that in collusion with others, Sisodia granted liquor licences to a group of leaders from the South in lieu of kickbacks to the tune of Rs 100 crore as the now-withdrawn excise policy of 2021-2022 was tweaked and profit margins changed to benefit these traders. The AAP used the kickback in the scam for its 2022 Goa Assembly election campaign, the ED alleged.

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#Aam Aadmi Party AAP #Central Bureau of Investigation CBI #Manish Sisodia #Supreme Court