Kejriwal, Sisodia: Top leaders arrested in Delhi excise policy case
What's the story
The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday night arrested Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in connection with the now-scrapped excise policy case.
With this, Kejriwal became the first sitting CM to be arrested by a law enforcement agency.
Notably, the Aam Aadmi Party's national convener's arrest comes just days before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Kejriwal's arrest has put the party in crisis mode ahead of the crucial polls.
Here's a list of other prominent leaders arrested in the excise case.
Context
Why does this story matter?
On Thursday evening, the ED conducted searches at Kejriwal's residence on Flagstaff Road in Delhi's Civil Lines area, after which he was questioned for over two hours and subsequently arrested.
This action, led by an additional director-level officer and involving a 10-member team, marked the 16th arrest in the excise policy case.
The move came shortly after the Delhi High Court denied protection from arrest to Kejriwal in the case.
ED arrests
3 AAP leaders in custody
After the Delhi CM's arrest, three top AAP leaders are in custody in connection with the case.
The other two are AAP MP Sanjay Singh and former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia.
On March 15, the ED arrested K Kavitha—the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader and daughter of former Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao.
A day later, Kavitha was sent to the ED's custody until Saturday.
AAP's future
Atishi, Bharadwaj may now lead the party
With key leaders Kejriwal, Sisodia and Singh in jail, the AAP is facing a leadership crisis.
Kejriwal's wife Sunita Kejriwal and cabinet ministers Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj may now lead the party into the Lok Sabha elections, reports said.
Meanwhile, the AAP's Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) partners—the Congress and the Sharad Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party have rallied behind the Delhi CM.
INDIA bloc
Opposition rallies behind Kejriwal
The Congress alleged that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is scared of the upcoming elections and is creating problems for the opposition out of panic.
Pawar said that Kejriwal's arrest shows the depth to which the BJP will stoop for power. "INDIA stands united against this unconstitutional action against Arvind Kejriwal," Pawar wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
According to the ANI, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will either meet Kejriwal or his family on Friday to show solidarity with the CM.
2021-22 policy
What is the excise policy case
The case revolves around alleged corruption and money laundering in the creation and implementation of the 2021-22 Delhi government's excise policy.
Probe agencies alleged that wholesaler profit margins were artificially boosted to 12% from 5%.
The regulation promoted cartelization and benefited those ineligible for liquor licenses for financial gain, they claimed.
The AAP leaders received kickbacks—worth Rs.100 crore—from a group of individuals indentified as the "South Group," they added. Kavitha was arrested for allegedly being part of this group.