New Delhi [India], December 21 : After Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena granted permission to the Enforcement Directorate to prosecute Aam Aadmi Party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal in the excise policy case, Bharatiya Janata Party MP Manoj Tiwari
Tiwari said the Supreme Court has "already punished" Kejriwal, for his alleged involvement in the excise policy case, adding that he is no longer the Chief Minister of Delhi.
"The people of Delhi were expecting this. It is not at all shocking. The Supreme Court has already punished Arvind Kejriwal in a way. He is no longer the CM of Delhi...He will get punished for the liquor scam..," he said.
This comes after Delhi Lieutenant Governor (LG) VK Saxena granted permission to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to prosecute AAP Chief and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the excise policy case.
On December 5, the Enforcement Directorate sought permission for sanction of prosecution against Arvind Kejriwal.
This development follows months f investigations into the Delhi government's excise policy, which has been at the centre of controversy and allegations of corruption.
Earlier in the day, Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party President Virendraa Sachdeva accused former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of being the "kingpin" of Delhi's liquor scam. Sachdeva asserted that Kejriwal would be "punished" for his alleged involvement in the excise policy case.
"It is clear that Arvind Kejriwal is the 'kingpin' of the Delhi Excise Policy scam and he has looted Delhi. We have been saying this since the first day that once you are out on bail, it is not evidence of your innocence. As the investigation progresses, Arvind Kejriwal is the culprit in this and will be punished," Delhi BJP President Virendraa Sachdeva told ANI.
Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court on Friday granted the ED additional time to file its reply to the petition filed by Kejriwal and former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia. The petition challenges the trial court's decision to take cognizance of the chargesheets in the Delhi Excise Liquor Policy case.
The matter has been scheduled for hearing on February 5 by the bench of Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri.
According to the ED, the excise policy was deliberately designed with loopholes to benefit AAP leaders and encourage cartel formation. The ED has accused AAP leaders of receiving kickbacks from liquor businesses in exchange for preferential treatment, including discounts, license fee waivers, and relief during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The ED further alleged that the scam involved awarding wholesale liquor distribution rights to private entities with a fixed 12 per cent margin, in exchange for a 6 per cent kickback. Additionally, AAP leaders were accused of influencing the outcome of elections in Punjab and Goa in early 2022.