New Delhi:

The Supreme Court will today deliver its verdict on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s plea challenging his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money-laundering case.

A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta, which reserved its verdict on the plea on May 17, will pronounce the judgment.

Mr Kejriwal, also the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief, was arrested on March 21 by the ED in a money laundering case linked to the alleged Delhi liquor policy scam.

ALSO READ | Arvind Kejriwal Used Part Of “Liquor Scam” Kickbacks, Claims ED, AAP Refutes

He has challenged the April 9 order of the Delhi High Court that had upheld his arrest in the case.

The high court had upheld the 55-year-old politician’s arrest in the case, saying there was no illegality about it and that the central probe agency was left with “little option” after he skipped repeated summonses and refused to join the investigation.

The Supreme Court had on April 15 sought a response from the central probe agency on his plea challenging his arrest.

Arvind Kejriwal was earlier granted 21-day interim bail by the Supreme Court on May 10 to campaign for the Lok Sabha polls. He was directed to surrender on June 2, a day after the last phase of the seven-phased elections was scheduled to end.

He was then granted bail by a trial court in Delhi on June 20 in the case. However, the ED moved the Delhi High Court the next day and contended that the trial court’s order granting him bail was “perverse”, “one-sided” and “wrong-sided” and that the findings were based on irrelevant facts.

The high court on June 21 imposed an interim stay on the trial court’s bail order till the passing of an order on ED’s application for interim relief. The high court on June 25 also passed a detailed order staying the trial court order.

ALSO READ | Victim Of Witch-Hunt, Falsely Implicated: Arvind Kejriwal In Delhi High Court

Five days later, he was arrested by the Central Bureau Of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the corruption case related to the alleged liquor policy scam.

The Delhi Liquor Policy Case

The central probe agencies have claimed that irregularities were committed while modifying the Delhi government’s excise policy for 2021-22 and that undue favours were extended to licence holders.

The Delhi government brought in a new policy for liquor sellers in the national capital in November 2021. The Kejriwal-led government, as part of the new policy, stopped government outlets from selling liquor and allowed private parties to apply for licence to run stores.

It said the policy would help stop black marketing, increase the Delhi government’s revenue, and benefit customers.

The Delhi government, however, later scrapped the new liquor policy and reverted to the old one.

New Delhi:

The Delhi High Court is scheduled to pass judgment on bail petitions moved by Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K Kavitha in CBI and ED cases related to the Excise Policy case on July 1, 2024.

The bench of Justice Swarna Kanta Sharma, after hearing submissions from all sides, decided to reserve the order in the matter on May 28, 2024.

For K Kavitha, Senior Advocate Vikram Chaudhari and Advocate Nitesh Rana argued in the matter. Advocates Mohit Rao and Deepak Nagar also appeared for K Kavitha. Advocate DP Singh appeared for the CBI, and Advocate Zoheb Hossain appeared for the Enforcement Directorate.

The CBI, while opposing the bail plea, stated that further investigation is at a very crucial stage on certain key aspects, including the involvement of other public servants and private persons as well as the flow of the ill-gotten money. If the accused petitioner is released on bail, there is every likelihood that she will thwart the investigation, more specifically when she fails to meet the ‘triple test,’ as laid down by the Constitutional Courts in a catena of decisions.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) also opposed the bail plea and stated that in the case of an offence of money laundering, mere routine conditions that ensure the presence of the accused during the trial or protect the evidence are not enough because of the trans-border nature of the offence and the influence that may be exercised by the accused. An accused can anonymously remove the money trail using the technology available today, making the investigation and trial infructuous.

The Delhi High Court had earlier issued a notice to the Enforcement Directorate and CBI on the bail petitions moved by Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K Kavitha in the money laundering case pertaining to the scrapped Excise policy of Delhi.

Recently, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed a supplementary prosecution complaint (chargesheet) in the Excise Policy money laundering case in Rouse Avenue Court.

The chargesheet was filed against BRS leader K Kavitha and other accused, namely Chanpreet Singh, Damodar, Prince Singh, and Arvind Kumar.

The plea moved by K Kavitha stated that she is the mother of two children, one of whom is a minor presently under shock and undergoing medical supervision. Kavitha, in her fresh bail plea, alleges that there have been attempts to drag her into the scandal by the members of the ruling party at the Centre.

She, through the bail plea, submitted that the entire case of the Enforcement Directorate hinges upon statements made by the approver, witnesses, or co-accused under Section 50 of the PMLA. The Prosecution Complaints do not provide a single document that corroborates the statements. There is not a single piece of evidence that points to the guilt of the Applicant.

She further stated that the arrest of the applicant is illegal as Section 19 of the PMLA has not been complied with.

Neither has any corroboration to the allegation of the actual cash transaction nor any money trail is forthcoming, therefore, the satisfaction of guilt as expressed in her Arrest Order is merely a sham and a pretense, she stated.

On May 6, The Rouse Avenue Court of Delhi dismissed the bail petitions moved by Bharatiya Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K Kavitha in connection with CBI and ED cases related to the Excise Policy case.

BRS leader K Kavitha was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on March 15, 2024, and by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on April 11, 2024.

Earlier, CBI, through a remand application, stated that “Kavitha Kalvakuntla was required to be arrested in the instant case to conduct her custodial interrogation for confronting her with the evidence and witnesses to unearth the larger conspiracy hatched among the accused, suspect persons regarding the formulation and implementation of the Excise Policy, as well as to establish the money trail of ill-gotten money generated and to establish the role of other accused/suspect persons, including public servants, as well as to unearth the facts which are in her exclusive knowledge.”

The CBI inquiry was recommended based on the findings of the Delhi Chief Secretary’s report filed in July showing prima facie violations of the GNCTD Act 1991, Transaction of Business Rules (ToBR)-1993, Delhi Excise Act-2009, and Delhi Excise Rules-2010, officials said.

The ED and the CBI had alleged that irregularities were committed while modifying the excise policy, undue favours were extended to license holders, the license fee was waived or reduced, and the L-1 license was extended without the competent authority’s approval.

The beneficiaries diverted “illegal” gains to the accused officials and made false entries in their books of account to evade detection, the probe agencies said.

As per the allegations, the Excise Department had decided to refund the earnest money deposit of about Rs 30 crore to a successful tenderer against the set rules.

Even though there was no enabling provision, a waiver on tendered license fees was allowed from December 28, 2021, to January 27, 2022, due to COVID-19, the probe agency said, and there was an alleged loss of Rs 144.36 crore to the exchequer.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

A Delhi court on Thursday extended till July 6 the judicial custody of AAP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in the alleged excise policy scam being probed by the CBI.

Recently, the Delhi High Court had denied bail to him in the case.

A bench of Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma had said that the applicant failed to pass the triple test for grant of bail in the corruption case and the twin conditions required under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

However, the high court had clarified that Manish Sisodia could continue to meet his ailing wife every week on the same terms as set earlier by the trial court.

In March this year, the Supreme Court also dismissed the curative petitions filed by the senior AAP leader challenging the dismissal of review pleas against its 2023 verdict, denying him bail in connection with the alleged liquor policy scam in the national capital.

In its judgement delivered on October 30, 2023, the top court denied bail to Manish Sisodia but said that if the trial proceeds slowly in the next three months, he may apply for bail afresh.

Special Judge Kaveri Baweja, of Rouse Avenue Court, had, on April 30, refused to grant bail to Manish Sisodia who was seeking regular bail a second time.

During the trial court’s decision to deny bail, it was noted that delays in the case proceedings were largely due to actions attributable to Manish Sisodia himself, dismissing his claims of undue delay.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

A Delhi court on Tuesday extended the judicial custody of BRS leader K Kavitha, who has been arrested in a money laundering case related to alleged excise policy scam also involving Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, till May 20.

Special Judge for ED and CBI cases, Kaveri Baweja, passed the order after K Kavitha was produced before the court on expiry of her judicial custody granted in the case earlier.

The judge, meanwhile, also reserved for May 20 the order on whether to take cognisance of a fresh charge sheet filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the case.

During the hearing on Tuesday, the central probe agency told the judge that there was sufficient evidence in the prosecution complaint, ED’s equivalent to a charge sheet, against K Kavitha to put her on trial.

The ED on Friday filed the nearly 200-page prosecution complaint along with annexures under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

K Kavitha, an MLC of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) party, three employees of a company that handled AAP’s assembly election campaign in Goa (Chariot Productions Media Pvt Ltd) — Damodar Sharma, Prince Kumar and Chanpreet Singh — and a former employee of India Ahead news channel Arvind Singh have been named as accused in the latest charge sheet, sources said.

The federal agency had arrested 46-year-old K Kavitha, the daughter of former Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao, from her Banjara Hills residence in Hyderabad on March 15.

Chanpreet was arrested on April 15 and it was alleged by the agency that he “managed” cash funds for AAP’s Goa poll campaign in 2022.

The three Chariot Productions employees too were allegedly involved in the movement and handling of “bribe” funds paid by the ‘South Group’ through ‘Angadiyas’ and hawala route for the party’s Goa campaign, according to the agency.

Arvind Singh, the commercial head and production controller of India Ahead, was arrested by the CBI in this case in May last year for alleged transfer of funds considered “kickbacks” of this “scam”.

This is the seventh charge sheet filed by the ED in this case in which it has arrested 18 people so far, including Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who was given interim bail by the Supreme Court on Friday.

The ED has alleged that K Kavitha was a key member of the ‘South Group’ that has been accused of paying the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) alleged kickbacks of Rs 100 crore in return for a big share of liquor licences in the national capital, as part of the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy for 2021-22.

The agency earlier said K Kavitha was “one of the kingpins, a key conspirator and beneficiary of the Delhi excise policy scam”.

The excise case pertains to alleged corruption and money laundering in the formulation and execution of the Delhi government’s excise policy for 2021-22.

Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena recommended a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities. Subsequently, the ED filed its money laundering case on August 22, 2022, taking cognisance of the CBI FIR that was lodged on August 17, 2022.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday addressed his first press conference and held roadshows for the Lok Sabha election campaign, a day after the Supreme Court granted him interim bail for 21 days.

Mr Kejriwal, the national convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money-laundering case linked to the now-scrapped Delhi liquor policy case.

Addressing a press conference at the AAP’s office in the national capital, he revealed why he didn’t resign, a Bharatiya Janata Party’s continuous demand since he was arrested on March 21.

“The chief minister’s post is not important for me. I did not step down as the chief minister because a conspiracy was hatched to force me to resign on a fake case,” Mr Kejriwal said.

आप सब लोगों के बीच वापस लौट कर मुझे बेहद ख़ुशी हो रही है। हमें मिलकर अपने देश को तानाशाही से बचाना है, मैं अपनी पूरी ताक़त से लड़ूँगा, मुझे देश के 140 करोड़ लोगों का समर्थन चाहिए। https://t.co/QbUWA5dBHF

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) May 11, 2024

The BJP had been attacking the Delhi Chief Minister for not stepping down from the chief minister’s post despite being in custody for 50 days.

ALSO READ | Arvind Kejriwal Can’t Go To Office, Sign Files While Out On Bail

“If the prime minister wants to learn about fighting corruption, he should learn from Arvind Kejriwal. We sent the corrupt to jail and even our own ministers,” the AAP chief said.

“AAP Not Just A Party, It Is A Thought”

Arvind Kejriwal alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has “left no stone unturned to crush the AAP by sending its four top leaders to prison”.

He was the fourth senior AAP leader to spend time behind bars after Satyendar Jain, Manish Sisodia, and Sanjay Singh.

“They thought that the party would be finished. But AAP is not just a party, it is a thought, the more they destroy, the more our party will progress,” Mr Kejriwal asserted.

ALSO READ | BJP May Get 220 Seats, Won’t Form Government: Arvind Kejriwal’s Prediction

He told the AAP supporters that no one had expected that he would be able to come out in the middle of the Lok Sabha elections. “But because of your prayers and blessings of Lord Hanuman I am among you all,” he added.

“Kejriwal has fought against corruption. We have not spared even our ministers in corruption cases. They were sent to jail without the opposition and the media knowing about it,” he said.

“Missed People Of Delhi A Lot”

Arvind Kejriwal held his first roadshow for the Lok Sabha election campaign in the South Delhi constituency and said that he “missed the people of Delhi a lot”.

“I have come straight to you after being released from jail. I missed people of Delhi a lot. I want to thank crores of people who prayed and sent blessings to me,” he said.

pic.twitter.com/pLocAzgBFd

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) May 11, 2024

Mr Kejriwal recalled his 50 days in Tihar jail and said that his wife, Sunita Kejriwal, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, and his ministers used to come to meet him.

“I used to ask my ministers about the welfare of people while in jail. During my stay in jail, I used to think what was my fault that I was arrested. My fault was that I provided good schools and hospitals for people. I provided health facilities to people. They (BJP) stopped my insulin for 15 days in jail,” he said.

“They want to shut everything to paralyse the Delhi government,” he charged.  

तानाशाही के ख़िलाफ़ पूरा देश एकजुट होकर लड़ने को तैयार है। लोकसभा चुनाव प्रचार के दौरान दक्षिण दिल्ली के महरौली में विशाल रोड-शो।
https://t.co/1uOBAc65Af

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) May 11, 2024

The Supreme Court has granted Arvind Kejriwal interim bail to enable him to campaign in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. He, however, has to surrender on June 2, a day after the last phase of the seven-phase poll will get over.

New Delhi:

 The Supreme Court asked the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Tuesday to not summon BRS leader K Kavitha in the Delhi excise policy case till it hears her plea on November 20.

A bench of Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Sudhanshu Dhulia gave the direction after Additional Solicitor General S V Raju, appearing for the ED, said the agency will not call Ms Kavitha, a Lok Sabha MP, for questioning till the court hears her plea challenging the summons.

“We have to hear the matter. Don’t call her in the meantime,” the bench told Mr Raju. At the outset, senior advocate Vikram Chaudhary and advocate Nitesh Rana, appearing in the court on behalf of Kavitha, submitted that no coercive action be taken till then and the interim order passed by the bench on September 15 be extended.

The bench said, “You cannot say that a woman cannot be called for questioning at all, as a witness or in whatever capacity. Yes, there has to be some safeguards.” The bench posted Ms Kavitha’s plea, in which she has challenged the summons issued against her by the federal probe agency, on November 20 and said if interim orders of protection have been issued in related matters, those shall be extended.

Justice Kaul informed the lawyers that Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud has constituted a special bench comprising him and Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Bela M Trivedi to hear review petitions challenging a July 27, 2022 verdict that had upheld the constitutional validity of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and the ED’s power of arrest under the anti-money laundering law.

He said the special bench will sit on October 18 and issue procedural directions with regard to the pleading.

“The only question which needs to be adjudicated is whether the grounds raised in the review petitions are covered by the 2022 verdict or not and if they are not covered, then the matter will be referred to a larger bench,” Justice Kaul said.

On September 15, the ED had told the top court that the summons issued to Kavitha for her appearance before the agency will be extended by 10 days.

The ED had issued the summons dated September 4 to Kavitha, the daughter of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, seeking her appearance at the agency’s Delhi office on September 15.

She has approached the apex court with an application seeking directions to restrain the ED from calling her by way of a notice or summons under section 50 of the PMLA during the pendency of her petition.

In her plea, the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader has sought protection from coercive action by the anti-money laundering agency on the ground that there are relaxations for women in various criminal laws, including the PMLA.

Section 50 of the PMLA deals with the powers of authorities regarding summons, production of documents, to give evidence etc.

The application has also sought a stay on the operation of the September 4 summons or any other summons and “all coercive measures relating thereto”.

In a significant verdict on July 27, 2022, the top court upheld the ED’s powers relating to arrest, attachment of property involved in money laundering, search and seizure under the PMLA that were challenged by multiple petitioners, including Congress leader Karti Chidambaram.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)