The development comes weeks ahead of the crucial Delhi Assembly elections, where the AAP is aiming to secure a fourth term. Arvind Kejriwal was granted interim bail in the ED case.
The ED has received sanction from Delhi Lt Governor VK Saxena for the prosecution of former Delhi Chief Minister and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal in the liquor policy case, sources said. The development comes weeks ahead of the crucial Delhi Assembly elections, where the AAP is aiming to secure a fourth term in the face of an upbeat BJP.
Citing a November 6 Supreme Court judgment, the ED sought sanction for prosecution under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, on December 5. In its letter to the Lt Governor, the ED said it found a “huge level of corruption in framing and implementation” of the excise policy.
In his plea, Kejriwal argued that cognisance of the chargesheet was taken by the court in the absence of the required sanction for his prosecution as he was a public servant when the alleged offence was committed. The ED had sought time to gather information to reply to the petition.The trial court had taken cognisance of the charge sheet on July 9, noting that there was sufficient material on record to proceed against Kejriwal. The ED had filed a 200-page charge sheet naming Kejriwal and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as accused.
AAP CALLS IT BID TO DIVERT ATTENTION FROM AMBEDKAR ISSUE
Calling it a bid to divert attention from the issue of the alleged insult to BR Ambedkar, former Delhi minister and AAP leader Manish Sisodia asked the ED to show the copy of the permission.
“If the Lt Governor has given permission to prosecute Arvind Kejriwal, then why is the ED not showing the copy of that permission? It is clear that this news is false and misleading. Stop making false promises to divert attention from the issue of insult to Baba Saheb,” Sisodia said.
AAP’s chief spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar also asked the ED to show the copy of the sanction granted by the Lt Governor. “LG Saxena has not given any sanction to the ED to prosecute Kejriwal. This is false news. If sanction has been given to the ED, then show its copy,” Kakkar said
Author: VS NEWS DESK
pradeep blr
