Excise policy case: Arvind Kejriwal was party to ‘criminal conspiracy’, says CBI

CBI alleges Kejriwal involved in Delhi Excise Policy scam, demanding money for AAP, manipulating policy for personal gain.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was "party to the criminal conspiracy" of the formulation and implementation of the Delhi Excise Policy since the beginning, the CBI has alleged in its latest supplementary charge sheet in the case.

Concluding its probe with the submission of the fifth and final charge sheet in the case, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has alleged that Mr. Kejriwal already had a "pre-conceived idea of privatising" the excise policy, which was scrapped after allegations of corruption surfaced.

"He (Kejriwal) demanded monetary support for his party AAP in the month of March 2021, when the policy was being formulated by the GoM headed by the co-accused Manish Sisodia.

"His close associate and in-charge of media and communication of AAP (and) accused Vijay Nair was approaching different stakeholders of the Delhi excise business and demanding illegal gratification from them in lieu of a favourable excise policy," the agency has alleged.

The AAP has denied the allegations.

Kejriwal was arrested by the CBI on June 26 from Tihar jail while he was lodged there in connection with a money laundering case linked to the alleged excise policy scam registered by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

The Supreme Court's verdict on his petition challenging the arrest by CBI is awaited.