Produced by: Hitash Gaur
Designed by: Mohsin Shaikh
The Supreme Court asked the CBI and ED on Wednesday as to why the political party, which allegedly received the proceeds, was not an accused in the Delhi Excise Policy Case. The remarks were made by Justice Sanjeev Khanna during the bail plea hearing of former Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia
During Manish Sisodia’s bail application hearing, SC Justice Khanna asked the CBI and ED, “As far as PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act) is concerned, your whole case is that it went to a political party. That political party is still not an accused. How do you answer that? He is not the beneficiary, the political party is the beneficiary.”
After a day of searches at the official residence of AAP MP Sanjay Singh, ED arrested the Rajya Sabha member on Wednesday in connection with the Delhi Excise Policy Case. This is the third high-profile arrest in the case after the arrest of AAP’s communication in-charge Vijay Nair and former Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia
The Enforcement Directorate has arrested the AAP leader under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act for his alleged role in implementing the now scrapped Delhi Excise Policy. ED had mentioned Singh’s name in its charge sheet as well after accused turned approver Dinesh Arora said that he met Singh during a party at his restaurant, Unplugged Courtyard
Dinesh Arora, one of the accused in the Delhi Excise Policy Case, decided to become a government witness earlier this week and expressed the same at the Rouse Avenue Court in Delhi. CBI had identified Arora as one of the close associates of Sisodia in its FIR. Dinesh Arora is a prominent businessman in the restaurant sector. He opened his first cafe in Hauz Khas in 2009 and currently serves as a Managing Director of various high-profile restaurants including Unplugged Courtyard, Chica Delhi and La Roca in Aerocity. Arora is set to give a statement to the CBI on November 14
Proposed in 2020, the new Delhi Excise Policy divided the national capital into 32 zones and each zone could have 27 liquor vendors. The policy also marked the exit of the Delhi government from liquor business as it allowed only private liquor vendors in the city
The AAP government introduced the new excise policy with the aim of putting an end to the liquor mafia and black marketing as well. The government also argued that the new policy would increase the revenue and improve the consumer experience while also ensuring equitable distribution of vendors
The new Delhi excise policy was implemented in November 2021, which also allowed the vendors to offer discounts and not sell at the MRP fixed by the government. After implementation of the new policy, Delhi government’s revenue rose by 27 percent to Rs 8,900 crore
The controversy around Delhi’s new excise policy began after allegations were made against AAP for extending ‘undue financial favours’ to liquor vendors causing a huge loss to the exchequer. In July 2022, the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi V K Saxena recommended that a probe be carried out in the matter by CBI
A report by the Chief Secretary of Delhi on July 8, 2022 also showed that the new policy violated the GNCTD Act 1991, Transaction of Business Rules 1993, Delhi Excise Act 2009 and Delhi Excise Rules 2009. The new Delhi excise policy was rolled back after this report on July 30, 2022
The CBI took over the probe of the case in August last year and soon after arrested the former Deputy CM of Delhi, Manish Sisodia. The Enforcement Directorate joined the probe on September 5, 2022