A search operation is currently in progress at the residence of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sanjay Singh. This search is part of a money laundering investigation connected to the Delhi liquor policy case. Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials arrived at the Delhi home of the Rajya Sabha MP in the early hours of the morning.
Mr. Singh joins the list of AAP leaders who have come under the scrutiny of central agencies in relation to the liquor policy case. Earlier this year, Manish Sisodia, a former deputy chief minister of the AAP government in Delhi, was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with this case.
The liquor policy case revolves around the 2021 liquor policy of the Delhi government, which was subsequently revoked. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal himself was questioned for nearly nine hours in this case back in April.
Mr. Singh had previously displayed posters outside his residence to “welcome” ED officials, a move that was shared by the AAP on social media with fire emojis in response to the ongoing searches.
The AAP vocally supported Mr. Singh, with the party sharing a video of the MP vouching for his honesty and stating, “Sanjay Singh – another name of honesty.”
Chief Minister Kejriwal expressed support for his colleague and accused the BJP (without explicitly naming them) of making “desperate attempts” to undermine their rivals ahead of the upcoming general election. He highlighted that over a thousand raids had been conducted, yet no funds had been recovered.
Delhi minister Saurabh Bhardwaj dismissed the charges against Mr. Singh as fictitious and suggested that the BJP was using this as a political tactic due to their electoral prospects.
The BJP countered by alleging that the AAP had benefited financially from the liquor policy, which they claimed had led to large profits. They accused the AAP of looting the people of Delhi through this policy.
Sanjay Singh’s father expressed willingness to cooperate with the probe agency, emphasizing that he would wait for his son to be cleared of any wrongdoing.
Dinesh Arora, a businessman involved in the case, had claimed that Mr. Singh introduced him to Mr. Sisodia, but the ED did not name him as an accused or record his statement.
The CBI asserted that liquor companies played a role in shaping the excise policy, which would have resulted in a 12% profit for these companies. The agency alleged that a liquor lobby referred to as the “South Group” had paid kickbacks. Of the proposed 12% profit, the agency claimed that six percent was funneled to public servants through intermediaries.
The ED is currently investigating the alleged laundering of these kickbacks.
Following the revocation of the policy, the BJP accused the Delhi government of reverting to the old liquor policy to cover up corruption. Mr. Sisodia denied any wrongdoing, and his party framed his arrest as an “attack on the Delhi model of governance.”
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