National desk
7 September
Sandeep Dhand Ludhiana
In a significant development, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has claimed that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was part of a criminal conspiracy in the Delhi Excise Policy case. This allegation was made in the CBI’s fifth and final supplementary chargesheet. The CBI asserted that Kejriwal had a premeditated plan to privatize the excise policy, which was later scrapped following corruption allegations. The agency also alleged that in March 2021, while the policy was being drafted, Kejriwal demanded money to financially support the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
The chargesheet further stated that Kejriwal’s close associate and AAP’s media in-charge, Vijay Nair, approached various parties seeking illegal payments related to the excise policy. AAP has strongly denied these accusations.
Kejriwal was arrested by the CBI on June 26 from Tihar Jail, where he was already detained in connection with a case filed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The Supreme Court has yet to deliver its verdict on Kejriwal’s petition challenging his arrest by the CBI.