Excise Policy Case: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal Was Party to ‘Criminal Conspiracy’, Says CBI

In its latest supplementary charge sheet, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has said that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was involved in a "criminal conspiracy" related to the formulation and implementation of the Delhi Excise Policy from the outset. The CBI, concluding its investigation with the submission of its fifth and final charge sheet in the case, claims that Kejriwal had a "pre-conceived idea of privatizing" the excise policy, which was ultimately scrapped amid corruption allegations.

"He (Kejriwal) demanded monetary support for his party AAP in the month of March 2021, when the policy was being formulated by the GoM headed by the co-accused Manish Sisodia. “His close associate and in-charge of media and communication of AAP (and) accused Vijay Nair was approaching different stakeholders of the Delhi excise business and demanding illegal gratification from them in lieu of a favourable excise policy,” the agency has alleged.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has arrested the allegations made by the CBI. On June 26, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the CBI at Tihar Jail, where he was already detained in connection with a money laundering case linked to the alleged excise policy scam, which was under investigation by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

The Supreme Court's verdict on Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's petition challenging his arrest by the CBI is still pending. In its submissions, the CBI has further alleged that Vijay Nair served as an intermediary for Kejriwal to connect with the accused members of the "South Group," led by co-accused and BRS leader K Kavitha, and secured Rs 100 crore from them in exchange for a favorable excise policy.