Liquor policy scam: ED moves court, seeks 14-day extension of Kejriwal's judicial custody

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday moved an application in court seeking a 14-day extension of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's judicial custody in the money laundering case related to the alleged liquor policy scam. Kejriwal, currently out of jail on interim bail, will have to surrender on June 2. 

Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court had earlier extended the judicial custody of Kejriwal till May 20. The ED had arrested Kejriwal from his official residence on March 21. 

The central agency last week filed a fresh charge sheet in the excise policy case, naming Arvind Kejriwal and his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as accused, the first time that a sitting chief minister and a political party face money laundering charges. 

Special Judge Kaveri Baweja is likely to take up the chargesheet, spanning 200 pages apart from the annexure, for cognisance in the coming days.

The accused have been sought to be charged under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) sources told PTI.

This is the eighth charge sheet filed by the ED in this case in which it has arrested 18 people so far. Earlier this month, a similar complaint was filed by the agency against BRS leader K Kavitha and four others. 

The agency has called Kejriwal the "kingpin and key conspirator" of the Delhi excise "scam". It has also alleged that he acted in collusion with the Delhi government minister, AAP leaders, and others. 

Additional Solicitor General S V Raju told the Supreme Court that Kejriwal played a key role in the formulation of the now-scrapped excise policy. "We have direct evidence that Kejriwal stayed in a seven-star hotel, whose bills were partly paid by an accused in the case," he said.

The ED had earlier claimed that AAP, being a political party, is defined as an association or a body of individual citizens of India under the Representation of the People Act, and hence it can be categorised as a “company” as contemplated under section 70 of the PMLA.

As Arvind Kejriwal was “in-charge of and responsible” for the said company i.e. AAP during the time of offence, he and his party "shall be deemed guilty" of offences mentioned under the anti-money laundering law and liable to be prosecuted and punished, it had said.

(With inputs from PTI)