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On March 21, the Enforcement Directorate arrested Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, making a key breakthrough in the ongoing probe into the money laundering case involving the Delhi liquor policy. This is a watershed moment in the investigation, which has implicated several high-profile figures.
Kejriwal's arrest follows a string of similar detentions, with significant personalities such as two AAP leaders, Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh, and BRS MP K Kavitha already in custody. The case involves alleged anomalies and corruption in the Delhi excise policy.
Earlier in the day, an Enforcement Directorate team paid a visit to Kejriwal's home to question him. The arrest followed the Delhi High Court's decision to deny him immunity from coercive action in the excise policy-related money laundering case.
This latest step raises the total number of arrests in the case to 14, emphasizing the gravity of the charges and the scope of the probe. Satyendar Jain from the AAP is among those already seized, indicating the scope of the investigation.
The excise policy matter, which has sparked significant interest, originates from procedural flaws identified by Delhi Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar in July 2022. The investigation claimed that then-Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia's decisions caused significant financial losses to the exchequer.
A complicated network of corruption has been exposed by the probe, including claims of kickbacks and illegal transactions involving large quantities of money. According to the Enforcement Directorate, there are more than ₹292 crore in illicit earnings.
Moreover, the case has become much more difficult due to the electoral bonds' involvement. There appears to be a connection between political fundraising and purported misconduct, as evidenced by a recent study that linked donors of electoral bonds to those involved in the liquor policy scandal.
There are still unanswered concerns about the level of political involvement and the effects on Delhi's political climate as the probe progresses. The detention of Kejriwal has increased conjecture regarding the length of his term as chief minister and the wider ramifications for the capital's governance.
On Friday, he is scheduled to appear before a special PMLA court, where the Enforcement Directorate intends to request custody so that it can question him further. New information is probably going to surface as investigators continue to work through the complexities of the purported corruption, thus the case is still in flux.
