New Delhi:

Delhi Minister Atishi has been hospitalised after her health deteriorated due to her indefinite hunger strike over the water crisis in the national capital, her party said on Tuesday.

In a post on ‘X’, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) said that the 43-year-old water minister was admitted to the emergency ICU at Delhi’s Lok Nayak Hospital after her blood sugar level dropped to 36. 

“Her blood sugar level dropped to 43 at midnight and to 36 at 3 AM, after which LNJP Hospital doctors advised immediate hospitalization. She has not eaten anything for the last five days,” the AAP said and posted pictures of Ms Atishi being taken to the hospital.

“She’s been admitted in the emergency ICU at LNJP. We pray for her speedy recovery,” it added.

Water Minister Atishi’s health deteriorates

Her blood sugar level dropped to 43 at midnight and to 36 at 3 AM, after which LNJP Hospital doctors advised immediate hospitalization. She has not eaten anything for the last five days and is on an indefinite hunger strike… pic.twitter.com/nl5iTfnwnT

— AAP (@AamAadmiParty) June 24, 2024

Ms Atishi, who began her hunger strike on June 21 amid a prolonged heatwave in Delhi, has demanded the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled Haryana release water for the national capital. She has accused Haryana of depriving nearly 28 lakh people of Delhi by releasing 100 million gallons per day (MGD) less water.

ALSO READ | Amid Delhi Water Crisis, AAP’s Appeal To Haryana On “Humanitarian Ground”

“There are 2.8 million people in the city who are aching for just a drop of water,” she said on Monday, the fourth day of her fast.

“My blood pressure and sugar levels are dropping and my weight has gone down. Ketone level is very high which can have harmful effects in the long run,” she said in a video message posted on her official X account.

अनिश्चितक़ालीन अनशन का चौथा दिन- जलमंत्री आतिशी का दिल्लीवालों के लिए संदेश

-Posted by Team Atishi#PaaniSatyagrah4thDaypic.twitter.com/Fc8hkdjtXB

— Atishi (@AtishiAAP) June 24, 2024

No matter how much my body suffers, I will continue the fast till Haryana releases water, the AAP minister said.

Atishi Lost 2 Kg In 4 Days: AAP

The Aam Aadmi Party on Monday said that Atishi has lost about 2 kg weight in the four days of her indefinite fast.

In a statement, the party said, “Water Minister Atishi’s weight is decreasing unexpectedly. Before sitting on hunger strike on June 21, her weight was 65.8 kg which has come down to 63.6 kg on the fourth day of the hunger strike. That is, her weight has decreased by 2.2 kg in just four days,” the statement said.

ALSO READ | Atishi, Raghav Chadha Meet Arvind Kejriwal In Jail, Discuss Water Crisis

The party also said that her blood sugar level has decreased by 28 units on the fourth day as compared to the first day of the hunger strike.

Earlier on Sunday, Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena held a meeting with a delegation of AAP leaders and said that Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini has assured that he will look into whether his state can provide extra water to the city.

New Delhi:

Alleging the Tihar Jail administration cancelled Delhi Minister Atishi’s meeting with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at the last moment, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh on Wednesday said “Even the British rule did not see this kind of behaviour”.

According to PTI, Atishi’s name was added after Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj’s name on the list of visitors for Mr Kejriwal. She will be meeting him on April 29. PTI reported that Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot’s name will also be added to the list of visitors and he will be meeting Mr Kejriwal soon.

Addressing a press conference, Mr Singh said that Mr Bharadwaj and Atishi were supposed to meet the chief minister in Tihar.

“But Atishi’s meeting was not confirmed yesterday. Delhi Education Minister Atishi applied for the meeting and at the last moment her meeting was cancelled,” Mr Singh said.

“After her meeting was cancelled, party national general secretary (organisation) Sandeep Pathak was supposed to accompany Bharadwaj, but he was informed around 9.30 am today that even his meeting was cancelled,” he added.

PTI reported that Mr Pathak himself did not come.

Mr Singh questioned the reasons behind the move and feared that Mr Kejriwal might not even be allowed to meet his wife in future.

“You are cancelling an MP’s meeting, a minister’s meeting with Kejriwal. You had cancelled my meeting with him earlier. Tomorrow you might cancel the meeting with his wife. Even the British rule did not see this kind of behaviour,” he said.

An inmate is allowed to write down the names of 10 people, including his family, whom he is allowed to meet, he said.

“If any prisoner wants to meet any of these, he cannot be stopped from meeting these people,” he added.

Mr Singh said that he would be writing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena regarding the same.

“He is being meted out worse treatment than the one meted out to terrorists or hardcore criminals. They are allowed to meet in person their lawyers and their families but you are stopping his meetings,” he said.

“If he kept asking for insulin for 23 days and you did not provide it to him, why is he being provided the same insulin after 23 days? This means that we were right throughout that the CM’s life was being played with, a deep conspiracy was being hatched to kill him, which we have been saying again and again,” Mr Singh said.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader said that “no reason was given” for cancellation of the meeting.

Earlier in the day, Mr Bharadwaj had a 30-minute-long meeting with Mr Kejriwal.

“I had a half-an-hour meeting in the ‘mulakat jangla’. He said that people should not worry about him. He said he is strong and he will continue his fight with the blessings of the people of Delhi,” he told reporters after the meeting.

The ‘mulakat jangla’ is an iron mesh which separates the inmate from the visitor in a room inside the jail. A visitor and an inmate can talk to each other by sitting on different sides of the mesh.

Mr Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering case on March 21.

The chief minister has not stepped down post his arrest with the AAP asserting that he would continue to run the government from jail. 

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

New Delhi:

AAP MP Sanjay Singh on Saturday said he stayed “resolute and brave” during his six-month stay in Tihar jail and even asked his family members not to “shed a tear” during their virtual interactions.

The Rajya Sabha member was granted bail in the Delhi liquor policy-linked money laundering case by the Supreme Court on Tuesday. He walked out of Tihar jail on Wednesday after being lodged there for nearly six months.

In an interview to PTI, he recalled his days inside Tihar, which currently houses Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and senior AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain.

“The initial 11 days were quite difficult. I was inside a small cell and was not allowed to step outside. I was under police security. Subsequently, I spoke to the jail administration and demanded that I be given rights as a normal prisoner,” he told PTI.

Thereafter, he said, he was allowed to move out at fixed timings under police security.

“They decided to allow me to go to the music room and badminton court at fixed times. Even the issues related to food were addressed,” he said.

The senior party leader said that he used jail time to read books since he did not have a mobile phone.

“I read in those six months — the writings of Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, Dr (Ram Manohar) Lohia, Bhagat Singh. Maine 6 mahine mein utna padha jitna main 6 saal mein nahi padh paaya (in these six months I read more than what I had read in six years),” he said.

After spending six months in Tihar, he said his “morale is quite strong” and it will strengthen his fight ahead.

“Either you sit at home or fight. We will fight,” he said.

While Mr Singh was in jail, his wife Anita was taking care of everything. Talking about how his family dealt with his absence, he said he spent the time bravely and even asked his family to stay strong.

“It is a tough situation for any family if they battle such circumstances. But the question is how can we stand strongly? I was so cautious. I knew that the video conferencing that takes place between inmates and their families is recorded,” he said.

He said he would try to regale his family with interesting anecdotes from the jail or some funny incident.

“I would tell them stories that make them laugh. The first day they asked me how are you, how is your health. I told them to always ask me ‘jail waale kaise hain‘. Nobody was allowed to cry. I told them this is being recorded. The people sitting at the top would be happy seeing them in tears or seeing Sanjay Singh dejected,” he said.

“I was resolute and brave throughout my jail days,” he said.

For a major part of his stay, he was housed in cell number 28 in jail number two but was later transferred to jail number five.

“This is weird. I was transferred from jail number two to jail number five. Manish Sisodia is in a separate jail and Satyendar Jain is in a separate jail. I don’t know why they consider us such big accused that we were all kept in separate jails. I was under CCTV surveillance 24×7,” he said.

Mr Singh was admitted to ILBS Hospital when he got to know about the Supreme Court granting his bail.

“I have been undergoing treatment at ILBS Hospital for the last three-to-four years. A report had come after which the doctor suggested liver biopsy. At that time, I was admitted to ILBS for that,” he said.

Mr Kejriwal was arrested on March 21 in the same case as Mr Singh. Elaborating on the arrest of Mr Kejriwal and its impact, he said it has given strength to party workers in terms of working and reaching out to people.

“Today Kejriwal is not here but workers are trying to fill that gap. The people of Delhi will give a befitting reply (in elections),” he said.

In this scenario, Arvind Kejriwal’s wife Sunita Kejriwal has come in the limelight.

She has addressed three digital briefings so far, in which she read out his messages from the ED custody and Tihar jail. In a political debut of sorts, she read out his message at the INDIA bloc ‘maharally’ on March 31.

“She has a key role since she is the only one who is able to meet him and through her, the directions reach party workers. It is a very emotional situation for her. I saw tears in her eyes for the first time after I met her (following his release from Tihar). The way our families, our workers, the people of Delhi have been tormented, the people will give a reply,” he asserted.

Mr Singh alleged a “conspiracy” behind the arrest of Mr Kejriwal and said that he, along with Mr Jain, Mr Sisodia, will be out soon.

“This is not a good thing. If you are starting this practice of dictatorship, it’s not a good thing. We will have to work harder.

“If Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi was certain about victory, he would not have done these. Freezing bank accounts of the Congress, arresting chief minister, there is a fear in them. BJP is losing elections. They are doing this out of fear. No politician will do such things unless there is a fear of loss.

“This is backfiring on them. People are developing sympathy… with Kejriwal,” he added.

As for the Lok Sabha election campaign, Mr Singh said he will work for the party in whatever role he will be assigned, and will campaign for candidates of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as well as the INDIA bloc.

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

New Delhi:

The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted bail to Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh, even as it posed tough questions to the Enforcement Directorate – which had arrested Mr Singh – including asking why he had been jailed for over six months without a trial or recovery of alleged bribe of Rs 2 crore.

“Nothing has been recovered… there is no trace (of the money allegedly received by the AAP as bribes for allotting liquor licences to the ‘South Group’)…” the top court noted to the probe agency.

The court then directed Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, appearing for the ED, to confer with the agency and decide if further custody of Mr Singh is warranted at this stage. Mr Singh was released after the agency said it did not require the AAP leader and that it would concede bail.

“I am making this statement (not opposing bail to Mr Singh) without going into the merits of the case and keeping all the rights and contentions open,” Mr Raju said.

The Supreme Court had earlier observed that Dinesh Arora, one of the accused who later turned approver, or government witness, had not actually implicated Mr Singh in his initial statements. Mr Singh was arrested on the basis of statements by Mr Arora, who was released on bail in August.

Sanjay Singh has been in Delhi’s Tihar Jail since his arrest October last year in the alleged liquor excise policy scam, which has roiled the opposition party – and seen the arrests of Mr Sisodia and his former boss, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal – weeks before a general election.

Mr Singh was arrested on money laundering charges linked to the alleged scam. 

The AAP leader has seen earlier bail pleas – including in the Delhi High Court – turned down; in February, in fact, the High Court said “no ground” for relief had been made.

READ | AAP’s Sanjay Singh’s Bail Plea Rejected In Money Laundering Case

The ED then had opposed the bail plea, alleging Mr Singh was involved in acquiring, possessing, concealing, dissipating and using proceeds of the crime generated from the alleged liquor scam.

AAP’s Sanjay Singh Gets Bail

That relief was finally granted this afternoon, after a bench of Justice Sanjiv Khanna, Justice Dipankar Datta, and Justice Prasanna B Varale said Mr Singh could be released during pendency of the trial.

The court said the terms and conditions of the release are to be fixed by the trial court. What is significant, though, is that Mr Singh can participate in political activities, meaning he can campaign for the AAP, which faces a potential shortage of big-name leaders in the run-up to the polls.

He has, however, been cautioned against commenting on the ED’s investigation.

The court also said bail to Mr Singh could not be treated as precedent in similar cases.

READ | “Court Asked About Money, Probe Agency Had No Answer”: AAP

News of Mr Singh’s release has been welcomed by his colleague and Delhi PWD Minister Atishi, who posted “satyameva jayate“, or “the truth will win”, on X (formerly Twitter). Atishi has been leading the AAP’s fight back and protestations of innocence since Chief Minister Kejriwal was arrested.

READ | Atishi Claims BJP Switch Offer, Says These AAP Leaders To Be Arrested Soon

This morning she claimed four other senior AAP leaders, including herself, had been earmarked for arrest by central agencies – in connection with the alleged liquor policy scam – if they do not join the Bharatiya Janata Party. The opposition has routinely accused the BJP of using central agencies to target rivals, particularly before an election. The BJP has equally routinely denied these charges.

NDTV Explains | Why Enforcement Directorate Arrested Arvind Kejriwal

What Is Alleged Delhi Liquor Policy Scam?

The Enforcement Directorate believes the now-scrapped liquor policy provided an impossibly high profit margin of 185 per cent for retailers and 12 per cent for wholesellers. Of the latter, six per cent – over Rs 600 crore – were bribes and the money was allegedly used to fund the AAP’s poll campaigns.

READ | Kejriwal Lodged In 14×8 Feet Cell. See What All Court Has Allowed

Chief Minister Kejriwal was declared the “kingpin” of this alleged scam by the ED and arrested on March 21. Mr Kejriwal, who continues to run the Delhi government, is now in Tihar Jail till April 15.

NDTV is now available on WhatsApp channels. Click on the link to get all the latest updates from NDTV on your chat.

New Delhi:

Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Tuesday administered the oath of office to jailed Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh after his re-election to the Upper House from Delhi for a second term.

He was administered the oath in Dhankhar’s office in Parliament House in the presence of his mother and father, wife, and son and daughter.

Rajya Sabha deputy chairman Harivansh and secretary general P C Mody and AAP MPs Sanjiv Arora, Sandeep Pathak and N D Gupta were also present at the oath-taking ceremony.

“Vice-President of India and Chairman, Rajya Sabha Jagdeep Dhankhar administered oath to re-elected Member of Rajya Sabha Sanjay Singh ji, in Parliament House today,” the vice president’s office said in a post on X while sharing pictures of the oath-taking.

Sanjay Singh, who is lodged in Tihar jail, was brought under a security cover on the order of a local court.

“The Jail Superintendent concerned is directed to ensure that the accused is taken to Parliament on 19.03.2024 under adequate security for the purpose of making and subscribing of oath as a Member and after the oath, he is also brought back to the jail safely,” the judge said in his order.

sanjay Singh was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case linked to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy and is currently in judicial custody.

(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 has directed Tihar Jail officials to take Aam Aadmi Party leader Sanjay Singh, who is arrested in the excise scam case, to Parliament on Tuesday to enable him to take oath as a Rajya Sabha member.

Special Judge M K Nagpal directed the jail superintendent to ensure adequate security during Singh’s movement.

“The Jail Superintendent concerned is directed to ensure that the accused is taken to Parliament on 19.03.2024 under adequate security for the purpose of making and subscribing of oath as a Member and after the oath, he is also brought back to the jail safely,” the judge said.

In an order passed on March 16, the judge said that during the visit Singh will not be permitted to use a mobile phone or talk with any other accused, suspect or witness in this case, or in the connected case of the CBI.

He shall also not be permitted to address the press or hold any public meeting, Judge Nagpal said.

However, he may be permitted to meet his counsel as well as his family members during the visit, the judge said.

He passed the order while granting Singh exemption from personal appearance before the court on March 19, when the case is listed for further hearing.

Sanjay Singh was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case linked to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy case and is presently in judicial custody.

The ED started its investigation based on a CBI case. The ED is probing the money laundering part of the alleged scam.

It is alleged in the CBI case that irregularities were committed while modifying the excise policy to extend undue favours to licence-holders; licence fee was waived or reduced and the L-1 licence (granted for the wholesale supply of Indian liquor) was extended without the competent authority’s approval.

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

(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 has directed the authorities concerned to provide healthy and nutritious diet and bottled drinking water to AAP leader and Member of Parliament (MP), Sanjay Singh, arrested in an excise policy case, during his production in courts outside the national capital.

Special Judge M K Nagpal passed the order on an application moved by Singh alleging he was not provided basic amenities like clean drinking water, proper diet and hygienic living conditions at places of his stay during production before courts outside Delhi.

The judge, however, acknowledged there could be some limitations with regard to the choice of food when the AAP Rajya Sabha MP travels by train to places outside the national capital.

“This court feels that even if the applicant is an MP, he is not entitled to any special privileges or treatment as a UTP (undertrial prisoner), but it is being stated that keeping in view his medical condition already brought on record, he is getting a medical diet in jail, as prescribed by the jail doctors,” the judge said.

The judge directed the DCP concerned to ensure that “whenever the applicant is taken for production in any outstation courts/States, the applicant shall be provided a healthy and nutritious diet of his choice, of course as per medical advice and subject to availability thereof with the Pantry Car of said train or through the online apps from the IRCTC”.

He said that “if the cost of such diet increases the prescribed amount of Rs 70 per diet for a UTP, then the applicant shall bear the burden of said increased cost and it can be recovered by the concerned authority from him”.

The judge added that besides the diet, the applicant shall also be provided sealed and bottled drinking water only during the period of his travel.

(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 the judicial custody of Aam Aadmi Party leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh in a money laundering case related to the alleged excise scam.

Special Judge M K Nagpal extended the custody of the leaders after they were produced before the court on the expiry of their judicial remand granted earlier.

The ED sought their further judicial custody, saying that the case was at a crucial stage, and if released, the accused may hamper the investigation.

The CBI had registered the case alleging that irregularities were committed while modifying the Delhi 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 and made false entries in their books of account to evade detection.

The ED started its investigation based on a CBI case, and it is probing the money laundering part of the alleged scam.

The CBI arrested Sisodia in February 2023 and he was taken in custody from Tihar Jail by the ED in March.

Sisodia resigned as Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi following his arrest by the CBI.

Sanjay Singh was arrested in October 2023 by the ED. He was elected for a second consecutive term to Rajya Sabha in January this year. 

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

New Delhi:

Aam Aadmi Party’s Sanjay Singh, arrested in the Delhi liquor policy case, will be in the custody of the Enforcement Directorate till Friday.

Last week, a Delhi Court had remanded the Rajya Sabha MP to five-day custody of the probe agency which accuses him of being a “key conspirator” in the case.

The ED had told the court that a businessman had given Rs 2 crore to Mr Singh and this sum was part of the money trail in the case.

The agency also alleged that the AAP leader had close ties with several accused, including businessman Dinesh Arora — who recently turned approver in the case.

Mr Singh — who has denied any wrongdoing — was arrested on Wednesday after day-long searches at his residence.

He is the second senior AAP leader to be arrested in connection with the alleged irregularities in the liquor policy, after Delhi’s former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia.

Mr Sisodia, who was arrested in February, is still in jail. He is fighting for bail in the Supreme Court, which has asked the ED several tough questions.

Mr Sisodia — the Delhi government’s excise commissioner during the formulation of the 2021 liquor policy that was later scrapped — is the prime accused in the case. Investigating agencies have referred to him as the “kingpin” and “mastermind”.

AAP has said Mr Singh’s arrest is a result of the BJP’s “frustration” with the Opposition parties coming together under the INDIA bloc ahead of next year’s general election.

The central investigating agencies contend that liquor companies were involved in framing the 2021 excise policy, which would have led to a 12 per cent profit for the firms.

They allege that a liquor lobby dubbed the “South Group” had paid kickbacks for it. Of the proposed 12 per cent profit, six per cent was routed to public servants through middlemen, the CBI has claimed.

New Delhi:

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) informed Delhi’s Rouse Avenue District Court on Saturday that it has no intention of shifting Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh to the lockup of Tughlak Road Police Station since the pest control work in the ED office’s lockup is completed.

Special judge Vikas Dhull, after noting the submission of ED, disposed of the application of Sanjay Singh as infructuous.

“In light of submissions made by Ld. Special Counsel for ED, the application filed by applicant/accused has become infructuous and stands disposed of accordingly,” the court ordered.

An application was moved on behalf of Sanjay Singh saying that the Enforcement Directorate officials tried to shift from the premises of ED to Police Station Tughlak Road on purported grounds where he could be tortured.

Sanjay Singh through his legal counsels Dr. Farrukh Khan and Prakash Priyadarshi raised the issue of his safety and security.

The petition stated that when Mr Singh asked for the reason for shifting, he was told that the purported reason for shifting was the use of pesticides in the lockup of ED headquarters.

Mr Singh further claimed that it’s beyond comprehension that a premier agency has only one lockup. He said that even if pesticide was used in the lockup then he should have been shifted to another lockup in the ED HQ. When he resisted the attempt, he was made to sleep outside the lockup and subjected to inhuman treatment, the petition stated.

A short notice was issued to ED on the application.

During arguments on the application, ED’s Special Counsel submitted that the agency has no intention of shifting the applicant/accused to the lockup at PS Tuglak Road since work of pesticide control at the lockup in the ED office stands completed.

It was also submitted that pest control measures were taken in lockup at the ED’s office, which was planned on 03.10.2023 i.e. prior to sending of the present applicant/accused in ED custody on 05.10.2023.

It was further submitted that since the applicant/accused had refused to be shifted to the other place due to pesticide treatment in the lockup room, therefore his consent was taken in writing for keeping him in an interrogation room at the ED office.

On Thursday, the court had sent Sanjay Singh to remand till October 10, 2023, in connection with the Delhi excise policy case.

The ED on Wednesday evening arrested Sanjay Singh after a day-long questioning by the ED officials at his Delhi residence.

Allegedly, Sanjay Singh’s party colleague and former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia is also involved in the same liquor policy scam. He is currently lodged in jail in connection with the same. The former Delhi Deputy chief minister and excise minister was first arrested by the CBI on February 26 for his alleged role in the scam.

The federal agency on Wednesday morning raided the residence of Sanjay Singh in connection with the Delhi excise policy case.

The development followed closely on the heels of the ED’s raid on the premises belonging to two of Sanjay Singh’s close aides in the same context.

The case connects with claims that Mr Singh and his partners played a part in the Delhi government’s decision to give licenses to alcohol shops and merchants in 2020, causing losses to the state exchequer and violating anti-corruption laws.

ED has previously searched a number of locations including the homes and offices of Sanjay Singh’s close associate Ajit Tyagi and other contractors and businessmen who allegedly benefited from the policy. In its nearly 270-page supplementary chargesheet, the ED has called Mr Sisodia a key conspirator in the case.

The Delhi liquor scam or the excise policy case pertains to allegations that the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government’s excise policy for 2021-22 allowed cartelisation and favoured certain dealers who had allegedly paid bribes for it, a charge that has been strongly refuted by the AAP.

ED has so far filed five chargesheets in the case, including against Mr Sisodia.

ED, last year filed its first chargesheet in the case. The agency said it has so far undertaken over 200 search operations in this case after filing FIR after taking cognisance of a CBI case which was registered on the recommendation of the Delhi lieutenant governor.

The CBI inquiry was recommended 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 had said.

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.

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.

This allegedly caused a loss of Rs 144.36 crore to the exchequer, which has been instituted on a reference from the Union Home Ministry following a recommendation from Delhi Lieutenant-Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena.

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