Excise Policy Case: Sanjay Singh demands Delhi LG to make letter public

New Delhi [India], December 21 (ANI): Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh on Saturday rejected the reports of former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal set to be prosecuted by the ED in connection with the excise policy case, saying that Delhi Lieutenant Governor (LG) VK Saxena should make the letter public.

"If the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has been given a nod to prosecute the AAP national convener, the LG should show the letter," Singh demanded.

"This fake news has been circulating since the morning. I don't know what is the source of this information. If Delhi LG has given any sanction, then he should make it public. Where is that letter of the sanction? If the ED (Enforcement Directorate) has been given the nod to prosecute (Kejriwal), the LG should show the letter. It is important to have evidence before running such baseless news. Delhi LG has given no such letter," Singh told ANI.

This comes after Delhi Lieutenant Governor (LG) VK Saxena granted the Enforcement Directorate (ED) permission to prosecute AAP Chief and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the excise policy case.

Earlier, Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Virendraa Sachdeva on Saturday 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.

On December 5, the Enforcement Directorate sought permission to sanction Kejriwal's prosecution. This development follows months of investigations into the Delhi government's excise policy, which has been at the centre of controversy and allegations of corruption.

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. (ANI)