Federal Agency Launches New Raids Across Delhi, Punjab and Hyderabad in Liquor Policy Case

The Aam Aadmi Party-led Delhi government introduced a new liquor policy in November 2021 under which it planned to open 800 liquor shops. However, it was rolled back in July this year after Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena demanded an inquiry into the policy by the country’s anti-corruption watchdog, suggesting it violated the rules.

Intensifying its money laundering probe into alleged irregularities in the Delhi government’s now-scrapped liquor policy, India’s economic intelligence and law enforcement agency on Friday launched new raids at 35 locations in Delhi, Punjab and Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh).

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is searching premises linked to liquor companies, distributors and supply chain networks in several locations of these states.

Soon after the raids were initiated by ED, Delhi State Chief and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal slammed the central government and termed the raids as "dirty politics".

"More than 300 CBI/ED officials have been working 24 hours for the last three months and have conducted more than 500 raids to find evidence against Manish Sisodia (Delhi's deputy state chief)," Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi. "They are unable to find anything because he has done nothing wrong. The time of so many officials is being wasted on dirty politics. How will the country make progress?"

The probe intends to figure out alleged irregularities in the formulation and execution of the now rolled-back Delhi Excise Policy on the basis of a complaint filed by country’s top anti-corruption watchdog, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Delhi’s Deputy State Chief Sisodia along with some bureaucrats related to excise department have been named as suspects by the CBI in its complaint related to the liquor policy scam case.

Several raids have been conducted since early August this year, when the CBI carried out searches at different locations across the country, including the residence of Sisodia and former Excise Commissioner of Delhi A. Gopikrishna in Daman and Diu.

The first round of raids by ED were carried out at 35 locations in Delhi and other cities on September 6. While on September 16, the agency carried out searches at 40 locations in several cities of states such as Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Delhi.

Ever since the probe in the money laundering case commenced, the AAP and BJP have been engaged in a political slugfest.

The AAP has refuted the allegations of corruption while the BJP has accused it of looting the wealth of the people of Delhi.

The BJP has even released two sting operation videos alleging that AAP politicians received kickbacks for introducing liquor policy.