The Enforcement Directorate, probing the excise policy case, told the Delhi High Court Tuesday that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will be named as a co-accused in the case in its next prosecution complaint.
The submission was made by the ED counsel while the High Court was hearing former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia’s bail petition in the money laundering case pertaining to the excise policy.
Opposing Sisodia’s bail plea, the probe agency said concerted efforts are being made by the accused to delay trial in the liquor policy case.
“AAP is going to be made a co-accused in the next prosecution complaint (charge sheet) to be filed in the case,” ED’s counsel contended before the court.However, the Aam Aadmi Party has refuted any wrongdoing, asserting that the agency failed to establish the money trail.
Meanwhile, the Rouse Avenue Court in Delhi postponed arguments on the consideration of the sixth supplementary charge sheet filed by the ED to May 20. The court also extended the judicial custody of BRS leader K. Kavitha till May 20.
Manish Sisodia, former deputy to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, has been in jail since February last year. Despite several bail applications, Sisodia’s release has been denied by multiple courts.
The ED has accused several AAP leaders, including Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, of receiving kickbacks in exchange for formulating a favorable liquor policy for the ‘South Group,’ purportedly consisting of liquor businessmen and politicians.
The agency has further alleged that a portion of the illicit proceeds was utilized by the Aam Aadmi Party to finance its campaign for the Goa assembly elections.
In October last year, the Supreme Court had asked why the AAP was not named in the chargesheet if it had—as ED had claimed—benefited from the alleged kickbacks in the excise policy case. The top court, however, later clarified that its question was not to implicate any political party but, and was just a legal question.