The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has been authorized by the Union Home Ministry to bring charges against Arvind Kejriwal, the leader of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), in a money laundering case related to the Delhi liquor policy fraud. After Delhi Lt. Governor VK Saxena approved the prosecution of the previous Delhi Chief Minister in the matter, the Ministry made its decision. The Supreme Court stated in a ruling last November that the ED must obtain prior approval before bringing charges against public employees.
The inquiry agency replied to VK Saxena the next month, stating that since Kejriwal was the “kingpin and key conspirator” of the scheme, a sanction should be granted. The AAP president went to the Delhi High Court to argue that the chargesheet the investigative agency had filed against him and other parties involved was unlawful since no authority had given their approval before the prosecution complaint was filed.
Allegations of anomalies in the creation of the now-defunct Delhi excise policy for 2021–2022 are at the heart of the case against Kejriwal. The former chief minister and other AAP leaders are accused of purposefully inserting gaps in the policy so they could get payments from alcohol lobbyists. On March 21, 2024, the ED made his initial arrest in relation to the money laundering case. Later, on June 26, 2024, Kejriwal was taken into custody by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with a corruption case. The AAP chairman was granted bail by the Supreme Court in September 2024. Just days after he secured bail, Kejriwal resigned as the Chief Minister of Delhi, paving the way for senior AAP leader Atishi to occupy the top post.