The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday alleged in the Rouse Avenue Court that Delhi chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal told the federal agency that excise policy scam accused Vijay Nair reported to minister Atishi.
While being questioned about the matter, Kejriwal also mentioned Saurabh Bhardwaj, according to the agency. Nair oversaw the AAP’s media communication unit as its chief before.
Following the statement by Additional Solicitor General SV Raju that the ED was not seeking any additional custody, the court on Monday placed the Chief Minister of Delhi in judicial custody until April 15.
The agency said Kejriwal had failed to explain why Nair, who was also a key accused till he became a government witness, had “more than 10 meetings…with co-accused persons involved in the liquor business”. The AAP chief “evaded” this and other questions, said the directorate.
“Kejriwal told during interrogation that Vijay Nair used to report not to me but to Atishi. Vijay Nair has been close to Kejriwal. Kejriwal said during interrogation that Nair did not report to him, he used to report to Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj,” the ASG told the court.
In its application, the central agency claimed that Kejriwal had been evasive in his response when asked why Vijay Nair was employed by the chief minister’s camp office, pretending not to know who was employed there.
“It is noteworthy that Vijay Nair is not some small time volunteer of the AAP but is its Head of Media and Communications. He (CM Kejriwal) was also shown different WhatsApp chats showing the involvement of Vijay Nair, who was a close associate of the arrestee and lived and worked very closely with the arrestee,” it read.
Kejriwal was placed under judicial detention by the central agency due to his “non-cooperative behaviour.”
“He did not reveal the password for digital devices… His conduct was totally non-cooperative. He is not giving his phone and deliberately misleading the investigation by giving evasive replies,” the ED told the court.
The Enforcement Directorate detained Kejriwal on March 21 and claimed he was a major conspirator in a money laundering case related to the Delhi excise policy case.
“… there are reports Arvind Kejriwal said prime accused Vijay Nair used to report to Atishi and Saurabh Bhardwaj. Delhi Government’s liquor policy situation is becoming clearer. It is to be seen if Kejriwal resigns or heads towards a new politics…” BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said. “Lalu Yadav at least resigned when he was going to jail (the Rashtriya Janata Dal patriarch handed the reigns to his wife, Rabri Devi) but he (Mr Kejriwal) hasn’t resigned yet.”
The agency claims that the so-called “South Group” group of spirits dealers paid the Delhi Chief Minister several crores of rupees in kickbacks for developing the excise policy and utilising that money to win the assembly elections in Goa and Punjab.
“The names of our two senior leaders who are ministers in Delhi government — Atishi and Saurabh Bhardwaj — have figured because the BJP has realised that AAP will not shut down by sending Kejriwal alone to jail and preparations for other leaders need to done,” Aam Aadmi Party spokesperson Jasmine Shah told the media.
