Liquor Policy
Arvind Kejriwal granted bail by court in Delhi liquor policy case
New Delhi/IBNS: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who on Saturday appeared before the Rouse Avenue Court in connection with the liquor policy case, has been granted bail, media reports said.
Reportedly, Kejriwal, who heads the city's ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), was granted the bail on a bond of Rs. 15,000 and a surety of Rs. 1 lakh.
The Chief Minister, who has skipped as many as eight summons served by the Enforcement Directorate, appeared after he was asked to appear by the court.
The anti-corruption agency had filed a complaint before a Delhi court against Kejriwal for repeatedly skipping summonses over the past few months.
#WATCH | Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal leaves from Rouse Avenue Court, after being granted bail on a bail bond of Rs 15,000 and a surety of Rs 1 lakh.
— ANI (@ANI) March 16, 2024
The CM appeared before the court following summons issued to him by the court on the basis of two ED complaints in connection with… pic.twitter.com/dPBXR95R4u
The probe agency is investigating the Delhi excise policy which has handed over liquor shop licences to private players.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) alleges that liquor companies and middlemen were "actively involved in irregularities in the framing and implementation" of the excise policy.
Former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister and Kejriwal's colleague in the party, Manish Sisodia, is already in jail in the same case as the prime accused.
In April last year, the CBI questioned Kejriwal as a witness for nine hours, after which he slammed the agency.
The ED has been summoning him since November 2.
#WATCH | BJP MP Manoj Tiwari on bail to Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal in ED summons case
— ANI (@ANI) March 16, 2024
"He has got bail on bail bond of Rs 15,000 in the case of complaints filed by ED. He is on bail and has been asked by the court to respond to the ED summons and obey the law. Following the law is… pic.twitter.com/m3ai5vnKdQ
Kejriwal, who is one of the prominent opposition leaders in the country, has called the ED summons as a "political vendetta" by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which runs the Centre but is out of power in the union territory.
The Chief Minister, who is a staunch opponent of BJP, said the saffron brigade wants to bring an attack on his "asset" which is "honesty".
He said, "A lot of my party leaders have been arrested on fake charges. Anyone is picked up and sent to jail. It's an open goondaism.
"Now BJP wants to arrest me. My biggest asset is my honesty. BJP wants to defame me by making false allegations against me and attacking my honesty."
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