New Delhi:

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is questioning Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal in the liquor policy case. AAP leaders Atishi and Saurabh Bharadwaj said they doubted the ED would today arrest Mr Kejriwal, who has skipped summons from the central probe agency for the ninth time.

Department of Education charges and timeline:

The ED, in a press release, called Mr Kejriwal a “co-conspirator” in the case.

The Education Ministry said that Bharatiya Janata Party (BRS) leader K Kavitha allegedly conspired with Mr Kejriwal and AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh to mastermind the now-abandoned liquor policy case.

The alleged conspiracy involves formulating a policy that would benefit the liquor lobby in southern India, which the education ministry calls the “Southern Lobby”.

According to ED, in return, the ‘South Lobby’ will provide Rs 100 crore to AAP.

Mr Kejriwal’s name appears in the testimonies of some of the accused and witnesses. The ED mentioned this in the remand record and charge sheet.

The investigating agency said Vijay Nair, one of the accused in the liquor policy case, often visited Kejriwal’s office and spent most of his time there.

Mr Nair allegedly told liquor traders that he discussed the policy with Mr Kejriwal. Investigators say it was Mr. Nair who asked Indospirit owner Sameer Mahendru to meet Mr. Kejriwal.

When the meeting failed, he spoke to Mr Mahendru and Mr Kejriwal via video call, in which Mr Kejriwal said Mr Nair was a “kid” he trusted.

Raghav Magunta, the first accused in “South Hall” and now a witness, said his father was a YSR Congress MP and he met Mr Kejriwal to find out more about Alcohol policy information.

Mr Sisodia’s former secretary C Arvind said in a statement in December 2022 that he had received a draft ministerial panel report from Mr Sisodia in March the previous year.

After Sisodia called Kejriwal, he went to Kejriwal’s house, where Arvind said he also saw Satyendar Jain and the document. He claimed he was surprised as no such proposal was discussed in any Group of Ministers (GoM) meeting, but claimed he was asked to produce a GoM report based on the document.