The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is set to name the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as an accused in a fresh chargesheet related to the alleged Delhi liquor policy scam, marking the first instance of a national party being implicated in a corruption case by any agency. Additionally, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is expected to be named as an accused for the first time in the chargesheet, with the ED designating him as the 'kingpin' and primary conspirator in the liquor policy matter.
The ED claims to have uncovered a money trail associated with Kejriwal, asserting that Rs 45 crore of kickbacks received by AAP were utilized during the party's campaign in the 2022 Goa Assembly elections. The chargesheet is anticipated to be filed following the Supreme Court's hearing on Kejriwal's interim bail, scheduled for Friday. If the hearing extends into the day, the chargesheet is likely to be lodged the following day.
According to legal protocols, filing a chargesheet against an accused is obligatory within two months of their arrest. Kejriwal is set to complete two months in judicial custody on May 21, having been arrested on March 21 in connection with the liquor policy case and is currently detained in Tihar Jail.
If filed, this would mark the seventh chargesheet by the ED in the liquor policy case. The agency has thus far apprehended 18 individuals, including former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh. Singh was granted bail last month.
In response to the ED's affidavit contesting Kejriwal's interim bail, which was submitted to the Supreme Court on Thursday, the AAP has raised objections, describing it as a blatant disregard of legal procedures. The party lodged a complaint with the Supreme Court's registry, highlighting that the affidavit was filed without the top court's approval and was issued a day before the final decision on Kejriwal's interim bail.
