India
oi-Amit Vasudev
The
CBI
has
arrested
Delhi
Chief
Minister
Arvind
Kejriwal
in
connection
with
the
liquor
policy
case.
The
central
agency
secured
a
three-day
custody
for
further
interrogation
of
the
Aam
Aadmi
Party
(AAP)
chief.
CBI’s
remand
application,
filed
in
Delhi’s
Rouse
Avenue
Court,
indicated
that
the
liquor
policy
file
was
expedited
during
the
second
wave
of
the
Covid-19
pandemic.
officials
leave
with
Delhi
Chief
Minister
Arvind
Kejriwal
from
the
Rouse
Avenue
Court
after
the
court
sent
him
to
the
probe
agency
custody
in
the
Excise
policy
case,
in
New
Delhi,
Wednesday,
June
26,
2024.
As
per
the
CBI’s
claims,
Pravesh
Jha,
Additional
Secretary
to
Kejriwal,
stated
that
the
CM’s
Personal
Secretary,
Bibhav
Kumar,
urgently
wanted
the
draft
Excise
Policy
approved
by
the
Council
of
Ministers.
“Further
corroboration
of
Kejriwal’s
complicity
is
evident
from
the
fact
that
co-accused
Butchibabu,
Abhishek
Boinpally
and
Arun
R
Pillai
had
come
to
Delhi
on
20.05.2021
in
a
chartered
flight
and
had
a
meting
with
the
accused
Vijay
Nair,
approver
Dinesh
Arora
and
some
liquor
businessman
of
Delhi
at
the
guest
house
of
Uttam
Galva
Company
situated
at
Gauri
Apartments,
near
Claridges
hotel,
New
Delhi
on
21.05.2021,” the
remand
application
read.
As
per
India
Today,
the
CBI
further
claimed
that
a
guest
house
was
booked
by
Bibhav
Kumar,
allegedly
connected
to
the
case.
Rs
44.54
crores
was
allegedly
transferred
via
hawala
channels
from
Delhi
to
Goa
for
AAP’s
election
expenses
during
the
Goa
Assembly
Election
2021-22.
Liquor
baron
Magunta
Sreenivasulu
Reddy,
a
key
member
of
the
‘South
Group,’ allegedly
met
Kejriwal
on
March
16,
2021,
seeking
support
for
the
upcoming
Excise
Policy.
Kejriwal
reportedly
assured
support
and
advised
Reddy
to
contact
Bharat
Rashtra
Samithi
leader
K
Kavitha,
another
accused.
BRS
leader
K
Kavitha,
arrested
on
March
15,
allegedly
collaborated
with
Kejriwal’s
team
on
the
liquor
policy,
CBI
added
to
its
claims.
On
March
18,
2021,
then-Deputy
Chief
Minister
Manish
Sisodia
allegedly
directed
his
personal
secretary
C
Arvind
to
type
a
draft
of
the
Group
of
Ministers
report
in
Kejriwal’s
presence.
The
report
increased
wholesalers’
profit
margins
from
5%
to
12%,
leading
to
major
gains
for
wholesalers.
“The
recommendations
of
GoM
were
incorporated
in
the
draft
new
excise
policy
of
Delhi
for
the
year
2021-22,
which
was
approved
by
Arvind
Kejriwal
on
15.04.2021
for
placing
the
same
before
the
Cabinet
for
approval,” the
CBI
claimed.
Kejriwal
will
be
presented
before
the
Rouse
Avenue
Court
at
7
pm
on
June
29
for
a
further
hearing.
