CBI files final chargesheet against Kejriwal in Delhi excise policy case

Concluding its probe in the alleged Delhi excise policy scam, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on July 29 filed its final chargesheet in the case against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and others, officials said.

The CBI earlier filed one main chargesheet and four supplementaries in the case in which former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, Telangana member of legislative council (MLC) K Kavitha and others have also been charged.

The agency said the one filed on July 29 will be its final chargesheet in the case.

Liquor businessman Magunta Sreenivasalu Reddy, a Telugu Desam Party (TDP) Member of Parliament (MP), met Kejriwal on March 16, 2021, in his office at the Delhi Secretariat and requested him to provide support in his liquor business in the national capital by tweaking the Excise Policy 2021-22, which was then in the making, the agency said in its chargesheet against K Kavitha.

Kejriwal assured support to Reddy and asked him to contact the accused K Kavitha as she was working with his team on the Excise Policy of Delhi, the CBI alleged.

Kejriwal in turn allegedly told Reddy to provide funds to his political party, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), it alleged.

The CBI also alleged that kickbacks of around ₹90-100 crore were paid in advance to some politicians of the ruling AAP in Delhi and other public servants by some persons in the liquor business from south India through co-accused Vijay Nair, Abhishek Boinpally and Dinesh Arora to tweak the Excise Policy for 2021-22.

The agency had alleged that these kickbacks are found to have been returned to them subsequently out of the profit margins of wholesalers holding L-1 licenses through different modes, like issuance of excess credit notes, bank transfers, and outstanding amounts left in accounts of the companies controlled, by some conspirators from the south lobby.

The CBI had alleged a cartel was formed between three stakeholders of the said policy — liquor manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers —by violating provisions and against the spirit of the policy.

All the conspirators allegedly played active roles in achieving the illegal objectives of the said criminal conspiracy. It resulted in huge losses to the exchequer and undue pecuniary benefits to the public servants and other accused involved in the conspiracy, the CBI had alleged.

(PTI)