Centre grants approval to ED to prosecute Arvind Kejriwal in Delhi liquor policy case

The Union Home Ministry has granted approval to Enforcement Directorate (ED) to prosecute Aam Aadmi Party national convener and former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in connection with the money laundering case regarding the Delhi liquor policy scam. This comes after Delhi Lieutenant  Governor VK Saxena approved the prosecution of Kejriwal in the case. 

The Supreme Court, last year, had said that the ED required to take prior sanction before prosecuting public servants. Kejriwal had moved the Delhi High Court arguing that the ED charge sheet against him and others were illegal because no prior sanction was taken from the authorities. 

Last year, ED had called Kejriwal the ‘kingpin and key conspirator’ in the Delhi liquor policy scam. In September 2024, the Supreme Court had granted Kejriwal bail in the same case after his arrest. Kejriwal was first arrested by the ED on March 21, after which the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took him into custody on June 26 on corruption charges. 

The case against Arvind Kejriwal revolves around allegations of irregularities in the drafting of the Delhi excise policy for 2021-22, which has since been scrapped. The former Chief Minister and other leaders of AAP have been accused of deliberately introducing loopholes in the policy to receive kickbacks from liquor lobbyists.