A Delhi court exempted Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, and Durgesh Pathak from personally attending a hearing in the excise policy case due to their election campaigning. The case, now postponed to February 3, 2025, involves corruption allegations in the implementation of the excise policy. The CBI and ED are investigating these charges for possible money laundering.
The Lokayukta Police have filed an FIR against Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and others related to alleged illegal allotments in the MUDA land scam. The Karnataka High Court approved an investigation despite Siddaramaiah’s protests against the allegations, asserting his innocence while the BJP calls the situation corrupt and politically motivated.
The Supreme Court has sought a response from the Enforcement Directorate (ED) regarding the bail plea of Vijay Nair, the former communication in-charge of the Aam Aadmi Party, who is implicated in a money laundering case linked to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam. Nair has been in custody for almost two years and the trial has not commenced despite 353 witnesses. Nair is challenging the trial court’s denial of his default bail plea. The money laundering case originates from a CBI FIR and alleges Nair’s involvement in arranging kickbacks for the Delhi government in exchange for favors related to the liquor retail business in Delhi. The ED accuses Nair of acting as a middleman for the ‘South Group’ and facilitating meetings with government officials. Raids were conducted at nearly three dozen locations in Delhi and Punjab, and other prominent figures are also implicated in the case.