• Source:JND
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Delhi Excise Policy Case: The Central Bureau Of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) told the Supreme Court on Monday that it is contemplating making the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) an accused in the corruption and money laundering cases linked to the scrapped Delhi excise policy. It is likely that this move may bring more trouble for Arvind Kejriwal's party. According to news agency PTI, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) S V Raju, representing the two investigation agencies, told a bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and SVN Bhatti he has instructions to state that the agencies are considering making AAP an accused, invoking legal provisions on “vicarious liability” under the anti-corruption law and section 70 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

“I want to make a statement I have received instructions to make. We are contemplating making the Aam Aadmi Party an accused and invoking offences of vicarious liability under the Prevention of Corruption Act and section 70 of the PMLA,” Raju told the court. The bench, however, asked Raju to clarify his stand on Tuesday on whether there will be separate charges against the AAP in the cases being probed by the agencies.

Raju said that charges in corruption and money laundering cases will be different but for the same offence. “Be careful and take specific instructions and tell us tomorrow on whether there will be same charge or different charge with respect to these cases,” Justice Khanna told Raju.

The statement was made while the bench was hearing the bail pleas of AAP leader and former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, who was arrested in the excise policy cases being probed by the CBI and ED. In this case, senior AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh has also been arrested and is currently in jail.

The probe agencies have often suggested that Kejriwal's party was a beneficiary of the kickbacks received from stakeholders who got liquor licenses as part of a quid pro quo. It is also alleged that AAP has used the money for campaigning in the Goa assembly elections. ED has claimed that AAP has used Rs 100 crore as kickback from various stakeholders for its campaign in the 2022 Goa assembly polls.

(With input from agencies)