ED secures nod to prosecute Kejriwal, Sisodia in liquor scam case

NEW DELHI: The Union Home Ministry has authorized the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to prosecute former Delhi Chief Minister and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal, along with former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The case is tied to alleged irregularities in Delhi’s 2021-22 excise policy.

A special PMLA court in Delhi had earlier deferred framing charges against Kejriwal after he challenged the trial court’s cognizance of the chargesheet in the Delhi High Court. His legal team argued that the chargesheet lacked proper sanction for prosecution under the PMLA. This followed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) securing a prosecution sanction against Kejriwal last August under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The AAP leader and his party are accused of accepting bribes from the so-called ‘South Group,’ a cartel allegedly benefiting from the controversial excise policy.

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Kejriwal’s defence has leaned heavily on a Supreme Court ruling from November 6, which mandated that ED prosecutions under PMLA require specific approval from the competent authority. This interpretation has encouraged many accused in similar cases to challenge chargesheets filed against them. Kejriwal contends that the CBI’s sanction does not extend to the ED’s prosecution under the PMLA, emphasizing the need for distinct approval.

In a related development, Kejriwal was granted bail by the Supreme Court last year in cases linked to the excise policy scam. His plea to the Delhi High Court seeks to nullify a trial court order that acknowledged the ED’s chargesheet without prior sanction for his prosecution.