New Delhi:

The BJP today escalated its attack on AAP following findings from a leaked Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report regarding the city’s controversial excise policy. Questioning the authenticity of the report, AAP leader Sanjay Singh asked whether the alleged findings were made at the BJP office. 

The report, which allegedly outlines major lapses and violations under the leadership of former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, has triggered a fresh row ahead of the February 5 Delhi Assembly elections. 

The CAG report has not been officially released. 

The purported CAG report, parts of which have reached the public domain, alleges that the Delhi government’s Excise Policy caused a loss of over Rs 2,026 crore to the state including Rs 890 crore due to the failure to re-tender surrendered retail liquor licenses. An additional loss of Rs 941 crore allegedly stemmed from exemptions granted to zonal licensees. 

Key approvals from the Lieutenant Governor (LG), the Cabinet, and the Assembly were allegedly bypassed. The report further claims that the Group of Ministers (GoM) led by Manish Sisodia ignored recommendations from an expert panel.

The BJP has seized on the alleged findings, accusing the AAP government of gross corruption and mismanagement. 

“If their (AAP) policies were so good then why were they taken aback? Today AAP has no answer to Delhi’s broken roads, dirty water in homes, rising electricity bills, mountains of garbage and pollution. Today the people of Delhi want to be free from ‘AAP-da’,” BJP leader Anurag Thakur said. 

AAP MP Sanjay Singh questioned the authenticity of the purported report.

“Where is the CAG report? Do you have a copy? Is it made at the BJP office? The BJP is scared. They have become mentally unstable. We cannot respond to everything. On one hand, they are saying the CAG report has not been tabled, but on the other, they say it has been released. What do they mean?” Mr Singh asked. 

The Congress has also joined the attack. Delhi Congress president Devender Yadav criticised the delay in tabling the CAG report in the Assembly, alleging that this indicated a deal between the BJP and AAP to suppress the report. Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit called the policy a “clear scam” and accused the Kejriwal government of draining government funds. 

New Delhi:

The BJP’s jibes – “‘kattar beimaan‘ and ‘bail wala‘ Chief Minister” – began hours after the Supreme Court granted Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal bail in the alleged liquor policy scam, noting the AAP leader’s “prolonged incarceration (in jail since March) amounts to unjust deprivation of liberty”.

BJP leader Gaurav Bhatia lobbied that particular jab at the Chief Minister, declaring at a press conference, “The Supreme Court has shown a mirror to ‘kattar beimaan (‘outright dishonest’)’ Arvind Kejriwal once again. He has got conditional bail… ‘jail wala‘ is now ‘bail wala‘.”

In addition, the BJP – which has previously demanded Mr Kejriwal resign after being accused of corruption and money-laundering by the CBI and ED – repeated those calls Friday afternoon.

“Most important is that Kejriwal should resign… as per the voice of people of Delhi. But he will not do because he does not have a drop of morality (in him),” Mr Bhatia declared. “He used to say a politician should resign even if there is an allegation… but now he is on bail after being in jail for six months.”

The party’s Delhi unit chief, Virendra Sachdeva, echoed the call. He claimed Mr Kejriwal could not discharge his duties given the bail conditions. “He should step down if he cannot work while in the post,” he said, pointing out also that the court had differed on the second of the AAP leader’s pleas.

READ | “Arrest Legal, But…”: What Court Said While Giving Kejriwal Bail

The Supreme Court has released Arvind Kejriwal but said he cannot visit his office or the Delhi Secretariat while on bail. He also cannot sign off on government files unless his consent is cleared by Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, who is the centre’s rep in the national capital

Apart from seeking bail Mr Kejriwal had also asked the court to declare the CBI’s arrest illegal.

On this count, though, Justice Surya Kant and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan differed. The former said he found no problem with the federal agency’s move, but the latter questioned its late action.

READ | “Only After Trial Court…” Question For CBI As Kejriwal Gets Bail

Mr Kejriwal was arrested by the ED on March 21 and granted bail by the top court on July 12. But he could not leave prison as the CBI had arrested him on June 26, while he was still in the ED’s custody.

His lawyers had criticised the CBI’s arrest as an “insurance” move, arguing the agency had ample time to take the AAP leader into custody from April 2023, when he was called for questioning.

AAP Rejoices

Mr Kejriwal’s wife, Sunita Kejriwal, who delivered fiery political speeches while her husband was in jail, said the BJP’s “plans” had been defeated. They want to jail opposition leaders and stay in power…”

News of Mr Kejriwal’s release was also greeted with great joy by senior AAP leaders and party workers, with Mr Sisodia leading the train of congratulatory messages

WATCH | How Manish Sisodia Reacted The Moment Kejriwal Got Bail 

“Today, once again, truth has won in the fight against lies and conspiracies,” he said, while his successor as Delhi’s Education Minister, Atishi, said “truth can be troubled, but not defeated”.

READ | “Welcome Back, Kejriwal”: AAP Leaders Celebrate Court’s Bail Order

AAP MP Raghav Chadha welcomed the decision and said the party had missed Mr Kejriwal’s leadership. “Welcome back, Arvind Kejriwal, we missed you!” he said on X.

With input from agencies

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New Delhi:

The Supreme Court on Friday granted Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal bail for his arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation in the alleged liquor excise policy case. The court noted the Aam Aadmi Party leader had been in jail since March and came down strongly on his detention without a trial, noting the “prolonged incarceration amounts to unjust deprivation of liberty”.

However, while the two-judge bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan agreed on the release of the Chief Minister, they differed on a second plea – challenging the CBI’s arrest in June, while he was still in ED custody, and days after a trial court granted bail in the latter’s case.

Justice Bhuyan seemed to ask serious questions of the CBI and its apparent late actions.

“It appears (that) only after trial court granted regular bail in ED case that CBI became active and sought custody. It didn’t feel need to arrest for over 22 months…” he noted.

“I fail to understand the great urgency on part of CBI to arrest appellant as he was on cusp of release in the ED case. Mr Raju (Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, appearing for the probe agency) vehemently argued the appellant has to first approach the trial court… this can’t be accepted.”

Mr Kejriwal was first arrested in mid-March by the Enforcement Directorate. This was after he skipped nine summons to appear for questioning; he declared those summons “illegal”.

However, in April last year the CBI had grilled the AAP leader for several hours in connection with the liquor policy case. Agency sources told NDTV then he had been called as a witness in the case, which exploded after the arrest of Mr Kejriwal’s ex-deputy, Manish Sisodia.

The AAP and Mr Kejriwal’s lawyers have repeatedly argued the CBI’s move to arrest the Chief Minister on June 26 this year – more than a year after it first questioned him – was “insurance” in the event of his securing bail in the ED case, which he eventually did on July 12.

The Supreme Court ordered Mr Kejriwal’s release in the money laundering case filed by the ED, but since he had already been arrested by the CBI, the AAP leader could not leave jail.

Justice Bhuyan also hit out at the “travesty of justice” – a term the court also used when releasing Manish Sisodia, jailed for nearly 18 months without a trial – that involved keeping Arvind Kejriwal in jail without substantial evidence to justify his detention.

Material provided by the CBI does not satisfy the court, he said, criticising “evasive replies” by the probe agency. In a significant statement he also said the accused “cannot be compelled to make inculpatory statements (referring to those that imply guilt)”.

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New Delhi:

Bail or no bail? That is the question the Supreme Court will answer this morning as it rules on a plea by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal following his arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation in June, in the alleged liquor excise policy scam.

Should it rule in his favour, Mr Kejriwal will be released nearly six months after he was first arrested – by the Enforcement Directorate – and two months after getting bail for that arrest.

The Aam Aadmi Party boss could not leave then – on July 12 – as he had been arrested by the CBI just a few weeks earlier, after the ED dropped its challenge, in connection with the same case.

In various forums since, including in the Supreme Court in this round of petitions, senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for Mr Kejriwal criticised that second arrest as an “insurance”, arguing it was designed to keep the AAP leader in jail, and his party on edge, before February’s Delhi election.

Last week, in the final hearing before the court withdrew to decide, he pointed out his client had already satisfied the ‘triple test’ legal principle for bail, since the same court had given him bail in the ED case.

READ | Big Supreme Court Relief For Arvind Kejriwal In Delhi Liquor Policy Case

The CBI has repeatedly pointed to what it believes is a mountain of evidence against Mr Kejriwal, most of which is drawn from testimony of ‘approvers’, i.e., former accused who have been pardoned, or will receive lesser sentences, for testifying against the Chief Minister.

The agency, like the ED, believes Mr Kejriwal played a key role in drafting and clearing the controversial November 2021 liquor excise policy, which was withdrawn eight months later.

The court, though, waved away an appeal by the CBI – that releasing Mr Kejriwal now, after he had been denied relief by the High Court – would “demoralise” that forum. “Don’t say that…” a bench of Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice Surya Kant, who will deliver today’s verdict, had said.

READ | “Don’t Say…”: Top Court On CBI’s Argument Against Bail For Kejriwal

It did, however, express concern over agencies seeming to rely on ‘approvers’ to make their case; in releasing Telangana politician K Kavitha, another accused in this case, it noted “You have to be fair… a person who incriminates himself is made a witness? What is this fairness?”

READ | “What Is This ‘Fairness’?” Top Court To Agencies In Liquor Policy Case

The run-up to this verdict has also seen the Supreme Court highlight the ‘bail is the rule, jail is the exception’ principle, laid down in 1977 by Justice Krishna Iyer, in connection with other cases under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, under which Mr Kejriwal faces charges.

The court has previously also reasoned that provisions for bail in the PMLA – under Section 45 of the law, which sets out two additional conditions for release – cannot overturn the primacy of an individual’s right to liberty. The note has been interpreted by many to mean there can be no argument to deny bail to a money-laundering accused, assuming other conditions are met.

After Singh, Sisodia, Kavitha, Next Kejriwal?

If he does get bail now, Mr Kejriwal will be the fifth, and most high-profile, opposition leader to leave jail after being arrested in this case. Three of those released so far are his former deputy, Manish Sisodia, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, and K Kavitha. The fifth was AAP leader Durgesh Pathak.

The three big names were released by the Supreme Court, which noted, in each case that authorities could not hold accused persons in prison indefinitely and without trial; in Mr Sisodia’s case last month the court called out the “travesty of justice” and flagged violation of a citizen’s right to liberty.

READ | “Travesty Of Justice”: Sisodia Gets Bail, Supreme Court Slams Delay

In April, while releasing Mr Singh, the court asked the arresting agency, the ED, why he had been jailed for six months without a trial and also pointed out it had failed to recover any of the Rs 2 crore he allegedly received as a bribe.

READ | “Just Because Woman Is Educated…”: Top Court As K Kavitha Gets Bail

Also last month, while releasing Ms Kavitha, the Supreme Court, once again, observed the Bharat Rashtra Samithi leader could not remain in jail if “likelihood trial in near future is impossible”.

Delhi Liquor Policy Case Explained

The Delhi liquor excise policy case involves allegations that Mr Kejriwal and the AAP received kickbacks of Rs 100 crore, including significant payments from a ‘South group’ led by Ms Kavitha, for allotment of wholesale licences. The ED and CBI believe this money was then used by the AAP to fund election campaigns, including that for the 2022 Goa Assembly election.

NDTV Explains | In Liquor Case, 193 Cr Profits, Kickback For AAP, Says ED, CBI

Arvind Kejriwal and the AAP, and Ms Kavitha and her party, the BRS of former Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, have denied all charges, and counter-accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, to whom federal agencies like the ED and CBI report, of mounting a campaign against its critics and opposition leaders, particularly before elections.

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New Delhi:

Granting bail to Arvind Kejriwal will not “demoralise” the Delhi High Court, which last month refused the Chief Minister relief over his arrest by the CBI in the alleged liquor policy scam, the Supreme Court said Thursday. A bench of Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice Surya Kant waved away the federal agency’s argument against releasing the AAP leader, saying, “Don’t say that.”

Appearing for the CBI, Additional Solicitor General SV Raju also argued that Mr Kejriwal had incorrectly bypassed the lower court – i.e., Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court – and approached the High Court for bail.

“He approached High Court without going to Sessions Court… on merits, trial court could have seen it first. High Court can only see in exceptional cases…” he said, declaring releasing Mr Kejriwal now would demotivate the High Court.

The CBI’s logic also drew a sarcastic swipe from AAP MP Raghav Chadha, who posted on X, “If the Sun rises from the East, it will demoralise the West.”

In early August the High Court rejected Mr Kejriwal’s bail plea, directing him to approach the sessions court for relief. The AAP, however, opted to move the country’s top court, citing its observation in the release of ex Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, that “sending the appellant back to the trial court would be like playing a game of snakes and ladders…”

After Thursday’s hearing the top court reserved its verdict on Mr Kejriwal’s bail plea. The court also reserved its verdict on a separate plea challenging the CBI’s arrest of the Chief Minister.

The AAP chief was arrested by the CBI in June; he was taken into custody at the Rouse Avenue Court shortly after securing bail for his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in the same case.

READ | “Insurance Arrest By CBI”, Kejriwal Argues For Bail In Supreme Court

Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for Mr Kejriwal, criticised the CBI’s arrest as an “insurance” to keep the AAP leader in jail for as long as possible, particularly with the Delhi Assembly election due early next year. Mr Singhvi pointed out Arvind Kejriwal had received bail in the ED case, which meant he had fully satisfied the ‘triple test’ legal principle for release.

READ | “Travesty Of Justice”: Manish Sisodia Gets Bail, Supreme Court Slams Delay

It was also pointed out that all others accused in the alleged liquor policy scam – Mr Sisodia and AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, as well as Bharat Rashtra Samithi leader K Kavitha – had bail.

READ | ‘Just Because Woman Is Educated…’: Top Court As K Kavitha Gets Bail

“Prolonged incarceration cannot be there…” Mr Singhvi said, referring to statements by the top court in releasing Mr Sisodia, “Is ‘triple test’ satisfied? Yes… in the Manish Sisodia judgment, the court held that in this particular case of excise policy, trial is impossible to finish.”

Mr Kejriwal has been in jail since late-March. He received temporary reprieve in June, before Delhi voted in the general election, but had to return to Tihar Jail after the results were out.

The ED and CBI contend Arvind Kejriwal played a key role in forming of a new liquor excise policy for Delhi, which allowed him to sell wholesale licences and get kickbacks, around Rs 100 crore of which, the authorities claim, came from a ‘South group’ led by the BRS’ K Kavitha.

This money, the agencies allege, was used to fund the AAP’s election expenses in Goa.

Mr Kejriwal, the AAP, and other accused have denied the charge, counter-accusing rivals Bharatiya Janata Party, to whose government at the centre the agencies answer, of mounting a campaign against opposition politicians and parties, particularly before elections.

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New Delhi:

With Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Arvind Kejriwal still in jail, his close confidante and former deputy Manish Sisodia has taken charge of the party’s campaign for the assembly polls in the national capital and Haryana.

Mr Sisodia, who has been granted bail by the Supreme Court in corruption and money laundering cases linked to the Delhi liquor policy case, will today hold a meeting of the senior party members.

The 52-year-old walked out of Tihar jail on Friday after spending 17 months behind bars, giving a shot to the AAP in its arm, which is still trying to fight the setback it received after its chief, Mr Kejriwal, was sent to jail in a case related to the alleged liquor policy scam.

The meeting of the AAP leaders is scheduled to be held at 6 pm at Mr Sisodia’s residence. 

Assembly elections in Haryana, where the AAP has announced to contest all 90 assembly seats, are due later this year, while polls in 70 constituencies of Delhi are expected to take place in the beginning of 2025.

Manish Sisodia Is Key Face Of AAP

Manish Sisodia, the former deputy chief minister of Delhi, has been the key face behind the rise of the AAP since its inception after the 2011 anti-corruption movement.

The AAP credits Mr Sisodia for “underscoring his pivotal role in shaping the multi-faceted governance landscape (of Delhi)” and “revolutionalising” the education system of Delhi government schools.

Before signing off his cabinet responsibilities, he held 18 crucial portfolios, including education, finance, planning land and building, vigilance services, women and child development, as well as art, culture, and languages, among others.

He, however, resigned from the Delhi cabinet on February 28, 2023, two days after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested him for alleged irregularities in the formulation and implementation of the now-scrapped Delhi liquor policy 2021-22.

Mr Sisodia has won the Delhi assembly elections thrice, securing the Patparganj constituency in East Delhi.

New Delhi:

AAP leader Manish Sisodia was released from Delhi’s Tihar Jail Friday evening – even as the dark clouds hovering over the national capital all day broke to shed much-needed rain – hours after the Supreme Court granted the ex-Deputy Chief Minister bail in the alleged liquor policy scam.

Mr Sisodia – who held multiple portfolios while a member of the Delhi government, including Education – was received by jubilant AAP supporters. And standing in the rain, he gave a short speech.

“Ever since this order came in the morning, every inch of my skin has been feeling indebted to Babasaheb (Ambedkar). I don’t understand how (I) will pay this debt to Babasaheb…”

READ | “Travesty Of Justice”: Manish Sisodia Gets Bail, Supreme Court Slams Delay

“I have come out of jail due to your love, God’s blessings and the power of truth, and biggest of all, the dream of Babasaheb – that if any dictatorial government comes to power and puts Opposition leaders behind bars by forming dictatorial laws, then this country’s Constitution will protect them…”

#WATCH | AAP leader Manish Sisodia says, “I have come out of jail due to your love, God’s blessings & power of truth, and biggest of all, the dream of Babasaheb that if any dictatorial government comes to power and puts Opposition leaders behind bars by forming dictatorial laws,… pic.twitter.com/DCHDuVYGyE

— ANI (@ANI) August 9, 2024

“I assure you, with this power of the Constitution, (Chief Minister) Arvind Kejriwal will come out of jail as well…” Mr Sisodia said, after which he left for Mr Kejriwal’s residence in Delhi’s Civil Lines area.

Like himself, the Chief Minister was arrested, in March, by both federal agencies in the liquor policy case. Mr Kejriwal has received bail in the case filed by the Enforcement Directorate but not the CBI.

Earlier today, in a series of powerful observations the Supreme Court called Manish Sisodia’s nearly 18-month incarceration a “travesty of justice” and asked tough questions of the trial court and the Delhi High Court for failing to consider the violation of his right to liberty by keeping him “behind bars for unlimited time”. Mr Sisodia was arrested by the CBI in February 2023.

NDTV Explains | “Like Snakes And Ladders”: Why Court Granted Bail To Sisodia

“In a matter pertaining to the life and liberty of a citizen – which is one of the most sacrosanct rights guaranteed by the Constitution – a citizen cannot be made to run from pillar to post,” a bench of Justice BR Gavai and Justice KV Viswanathan had said.

Mr Sisodia could not be made to run “from pillar to post” for bail, the court said.

Mr Sisodia’s party has welcomed his release, calling it “victory of truth”.

Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha, in a euphoric post on X (formerly Twitter), declared “the entire country is happy today as Manish Sisodia, hero of the Delhi education revolution, got bail.”

“This verdict is a slap on Centre’s dictatorship. He was in jail for 17 months. His life was destroyed in those months. He could have worked for education of children in that time,” Sanjay Singh – who was also arrested, and later granted bail by the top court, in this case – said.

“Satyamev Jayate,” Delhi Education minister Atishi posted on X.

In releasing Mr Sisodia, the court also made critical observations on the federal agencies’, one example of which was Justice Gavai saying, “In this case 493 witnesses (were) named (and) there is not remotest possibility that Manish Sisodia’s trial will conclude in (the near) future.”

On the question of Mr Sisodia allegedly tampering with evidence, the court pointed out “most evidence is documentary” and that these documents were already with the probe agencies.

The court has, though, imposed certain conditions on Mr Sisodia, including demanding he surrender his passport and report to the Investigating Officer every Monday.

The court has also warned Mr Sisodia he will be returned to jail if there is tampering of evidence.

New Delhi:

The Supreme Court today granted bail to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Manish Sisodia, who had been in custody for 17 months, in connection to the Delhi liquor policy case. Reacting to the news, Sunita Kejriwal, wife of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, expressed her relief, stating, “Justice can be delayed, not denied.”

भगवान के घर देर है अंधेर नहीं

— Sunita Kejriwal (@KejriwalSunita) August 9, 2024

The legal battle surrounding the Delhi excise policy case has seen multiple high-profile arrests, including that of Arvind Kejriwal. On Thursday, a Delhi court extended Mr Kejriwal’s judicial custody until August 20 in the ongoing corruption case being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Special Judge Kaveri Baweja, who presided over the hearing, extended Mr Kejriwal’s custody after he appeared before the court via video conference.

The court is scheduled to consider a supplementary charge sheet filed by the CBI against Mr Kejriwal on August 12. The supplementary charge sheet is expected to further detail the allegations against the AAP chief, who has been named as one of the “main conspirators” in the case. Judge Baweja noted the CBI’s concerns that Mr Kejriwal might attempt to influence witnesses if released, justifying the extension of his custody.

Mr Kejriwal, 55, was initially arrested by the CBI on June 26 while already in judicial custody at Tihar Jail, where he was being held in connection with a money laundering case filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). His arrest by the ED had occurred earlier on March 21.

Despite being granted interim bail by the Supreme Court in the ED case on July 12, Mr Kejriwal remains in Tihar Jail as he has yet to furnish the required bail bond. 

New Delhi:

A Delhi court on Thursday extended the judicial custody of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in money laundering and corruption cases related to the alleged liquor policy scam.

Special Judge Kaveri Baweja extended Mr Kejriwal’s custody in a money laundering case, being probed by the Enforcement Directorate, till July 31, while his judicial custody in a corruption case, lodged by the CBI, was extended till August 8.

The judge also extended the judicial custody of Aam Aadmi Party leader and former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, Bharat Rashtra Samithi leader K Kavitha and other accused till July 31 in the money laundering case.

The accused were produced before the court through video conference.

The Supreme Court had earlier granted interim bail to Mr Kejriwal in the ED case, however, he continues to be lodged in Tihar jail here as he has not furnished the bail bond in the case.

He is in judicial custody in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) case.

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

New Delhi:

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), in its chargesheet filed against Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K Kavitha, has stated that she was involved in the manipulation and tweaking of the Delhi Excise Policy.

During the investigation, the role of the accused, Ms Kavitha has surfaced not only in the collection of upfront money but also in the transfer of ill-gotten money to Goa through the Hawala channel, stated CBI.

It has been revealed that her co-accused associates, viz., Abhishek Boinpally and PA Ashok Kaushik, were involved in the transfer of ill-gotten money to Goa through the Hawala channel.

It has been revealed that the accused Arvind Kumar Singh, who was posted and functioning as Production Controller-Cum-Commercial Head of India Ahead News, owned by the accused Mootha Gautham and Abhishek Boinpally, the co-accused associate of the accused K Kavitha, has acted as a conduit of the accused persons of the South Group and played a major role in transfer of ill-gotten money of Rs 7.10 crore to Goa from Delhi through Hawala Channel.

The Rouse Avenue Court on Monday took cognizance of the Supplementary chargesheet filed against BRS leader K Kavitha by the CBI in the Delhi Excise Policy case.

Special judge Kaveri Baweja, after taking cognizance of the supplementary charge sheet directed to produce Kavitha before the court through video conferencing on July 26.

The court has directed us to supply a copy of the supplementary charge sheet to the counsel for Kavitha and others.

The matter has been listed for scrutiny of documents on the next date of hearing.

The Court on July 8 reserved an order on cognizance of the charge sheet (third supplementary charge sheet in this case.)

Advocate DP Singh had submitted that cognizance of the offence has already been taken. We are aware that a policy was made and the influence of South Group was there. All key people in the group worked under Kavitha’s command.

He also read over the statements of TDP MP Magunta S Reddy, who met Delhi CM Kejriwal on March 16, 2021. His son, Raghav Magunta, also confirmed this.

He also submitted that there is a list of statements we are relying upon, including Sarath Reddy, Gopi Kumaran and Raghav Magunta. There are many people who will ultimately speak against Kavitha.

cognizance of the offence is already taken, this charge sheet is only for the limited purpose of consideration and summoning of this accused, DP Singh said.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed a charge sheet against BRS leader K Kavitha in the Delhi Excise Policy case on June 6. This is the third supplementary charge sheet filed by the CBI in the Delhi Excise Policy case.

Kavitha is in judicial custody in both CBI and ED cases. She was first arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on March 15. Thereafter, she was arrested by the CBI on April 11.

On July 1, the Delhi High Court on Monday dismissed the bail petitions moved by Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K Kavitha in CBI and ED cases related to the Excise Policy case.

The plea moved by Kavitha stated that she is a mother of two children, one of whom is a minor presently under shock and is 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 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 put forth a single document which corroborates the statements. There is not a single piece of evidence which 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 his arrest order is merely a sham and a pretence, she stated.

The ED and the CBI had alleged that irregularities were committed while modifying the excise policy, undue favours were extended to licence holders, the licence fee was waived or reduced and the L-1 licence 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 licence 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.)