"I wonder why it took so many days for LG to give permission": Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit after Delhi LG allows ED to prosecute Kejriwal

Expressing his surprise over what he felt was a delayed action, Sandeep Dikshit told ANI, "I wonder why it took so many days for the LG to give permission. They (Delhi ministers) should have been in jail by now...."

"The liquor scam has nothing to do with the elections. The probe has been going on for 2-3 years. If the facts are believed to be correct, the Delhi government has suffered huge losses, and the excise policy has only benefited private contractors from South India...," he said.

Replying to a query on the Delhi assembly elections likely to be held in 2025, he said, "AAP will not be able to form the government in Delhi, rather they will be in third place, and BJP will be in second place."

This comes after Delhi Lieutenant Governor (LG) VK Saxena granted permission to the ED to prosecute Arvind Kejriwal in the excise policy case.

On December 5, the ED sought permission for sanction of prosecution against Arvind Kejriwal.

This development follows months of investigations into the Delhi government's excise policy, which has been at the centre of controversy and allegations of corruption.

Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court on Friday granted the ED additional time to file its reply to the petition filed by Kejriwal and former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia. The petition challenges the trial court's decision to take cognizance of the chargesheets in the Delhi Excise Liquor Policy case.

The matter has been scheduled for hearing on February 5 by the bench of Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri.

According to the ED, the excise policy was deliberately designed with loopholes to benefit AAP leaders and encourage cartel formation. The ED has accused AAP leaders of receiving kickbacks from liquor businesses in exchange for preferential treatment, including discounts, license fee waivers, and relief during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ED further alleged that the scam involved awarding wholesale liquor distribution rights to private entities with a fixed 12 per cent margin, in exchange for a 6 per cent kickback. Additionally, AAP leaders were accused of influencing the outcome of elections in Punjab and Goa in early 2022. (ANI)